Thanks, grief. Those are not my words. Although the sarcasm with which the writer shared them makes me half-laugh, half-snort with a thinned-out familiarity. A diluted sense of knowing what he means, which is not at all the same as saying that I know how he feels.
Thanks, grief. Those words were written by a man whose wife died six months ago. He described that day as the second worst in his life. The worst was having to tell the news to his 7-year-old daughter.
Here’s what he said about the difference between depression and grief:
“Depression is more seductive.”
“Its tool is: ‘Wouldn’t it be way more comfortable to stay inside and not deal with people?’
Grief is an attack on life. It’s not a seducer. It’s an ambush or worse. It stands right out there and says: ‘The minute you try something, I’m waiting for you.’”
This. This is the truth needed to shed tiny cracks of light into the darkness of the grieving soul.
While I don’t know this man, I pray he finds more and more moments of peace on his journey with his daughter. The completely odd part is that in a way, we’ll be able to “watch” but I wanted his words to speak before his ability to be recognized.
I wish you peace, Mr. Oswalt.
Patricia Alderman 