Good Grief!

GRIEF is good.   Just ask Lucy or Charlie Brown. 

Death, divorce, loss of a job, long distance relationships, tragedy,  and hard changes are all not so good.  Experts tell us ANY loss will result in some type of grieving process. 

More/bigger loss=more /bigger Grief.  

Embracing your grief, and walking through it slowly and carefully with your head held high is WAY good. 

 

 What in the Cat Hair Good.

Sprinting through your grief holding your breath = no good. 

Ignoring it, or pretending it is not so:  = really bad.

Ten years ago when Anna my oldest went off to college I thought I would be fine- until I got in the car to come home and then the waterworks began.  The grieving process I went through  over the next couple of months was strange, 

and in the end excellent.

 I did not exactly grieve for HER, although I did miss her.  My grief mostly centered around our family unit.  Our little “fivesome” was altered forever.  

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem ...how often I have longs to gather your children together , as a hen gathers her chicks under her wing, but you were not willing...Matthew:23:27

 Somehow one of my little chicks had gotten out from under the wing and flown the coop!  What in the Cat Hair?

 Where had the time gone?

 Although she was still part of our family, in most ways she was a separate adult, making her own way...  THAT is exactly how we had raised her.  Still, it was hard.   We were left with a “foursome”….  I learned over those years  that a “foursome” was also good.  It was our new normal.

On Friday Tim and I took our son,  who is the youngest, and dropped him off at college.  Many of the same feelings have come back.   Family alterations are beginning again.  I am grieving… and that is a good thing. 

It’s good grief. 

Here is what I am doing.

1.Leaning on my Jesus for comfort,  my hunny, and my friends.  When my tears come, (and that’s OK) those people are there for me.

2.Remembering all the fun and frolics as Bud was growing up- crazy shenanigans for sure!

3.Looking forward to seeing him at breaks, and hearing how college rigors are molding him into an incredible man.

4.Establishing  the “new normal”  where we will have our adult children and grandchildren visit --YAY! , and do a lot of SKYPE!

5.Spending lots of time with my sweetheart.  (we are going to take up tennis again:)

6.Brainstorming more ways I can "give back" at my church, in my community.

What about you?  Have you had someone go off to college this year?  Last year, next year?   

Get going on some good grief...

 

 In the end the whole PEANUTS gang concurs;  it is WAY Good.