11/02/2025
Finding Spaces of Gentle Understanding Within
Our grief can often make others feel uneasy.
They fumble for words,
offer quick comfort,
and then step back,
unsure what to do with the silence that follows.
Fear sometimes drives them away,
fear of saying the wrong thing,
of breaking open something too fragile to hold.
And so they keep their distance,
watching from the sidelines,
while we learn to breathe through the ache.
In that distance, loneliness grows deeper.
We find ourselves carrying not only the weight of loss
but the weight of others’ discomfort with it.
We cannot carry their unease,
nor must we feel guilty for it.
Instead, we must learn to hold our own sorrow
with gentle hands,
to speak our needs softly,
and to let those who cannot stay
honor their own path while we tend ours.
In doing so, may we find spaces of gentle understanding within ourselves,
where our hearts unfold softly like a delicate flower,
where sorrow may settle tenderly without judgment,
and stillness becomes a welcoming and quiet companion.
~ 'Finding Spaces of Gentle Understanding Within' by Spirit of a Hippie
✍️ Mary Anne Byrne
~ Art by Serin Alar Serin Alar
