Feel Joy

The numb feeling coursing through your body.

The hollow feeling in your chest, reminding you how it feels empty.

The darkness that settles around your grief.

The quiet nights that emphasize the loneliness.

The long, cold, sleepless nights.

There are a plethora of feelings and realities in the world of grief, many which you might be experiencing currently or familiar with in the past.  Even more, the chances are you might experience more than what is on this list, based on your experiences and journey with grief. It’s a tough reality to live in, and can feel suffocating at times.  It’s isolating, it’s challenging, and it feels like no one understands. It’s heavy, it's lonely, and it’s dark. 

Hang in there, have hope – there is a bit of light in this news.

You are allowed to feel joy.  You are allowed to smile.  You are encouraged to  look for the positive side of a tough situation. You may not want to. It may even sneak up on you. One day, you might notice the sun shining and watch a funny video and realize you actually laughed and you meant to. It's okay. It doesn't mean you no longer care about the person you lost, or that your grief isn't heavy or painful. While feeling joy and laughing and smiling does not take the pain away, it makes the hard days just a tiny bit easier to get through. 

In this season of transition, remember to try to hold space for joy.  Certainly do not try to force it if you’re not feeling it, but hold space for it in case you’re able to find some.  Maybe you’ll find joy in watching animals in nature.  Maybe you’ll find joy in volunteering for an event that aligns to your values. Maybe you’ll find joy in a lemonade stand from the neighborhood kids.  Maybe you’ll find joy in sharing a home cooked meal with a friend. Maybe you’ll find joy by helping someone else. 

There are lots of avenues to venture down in search of joy, but the best news is that if we look enough, we will find that it can come naturally, if only we look for it. Feeling joy in grief can happen this season if we allow it. Opening your heart to joy and light can bring a newfound hope to even the darkest season. Your grief and your joy are not forgotten here.

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