M. Aline

As I sit here reminiscing over when my love for writing started, I realized I have over 13 drafts from the past few years that I have yet to go through and publish. Maybe one day soon that will happen…who knows. In the meantime, let’s backtrack to my most recent post, “The Passing of Rose.” Two weeks ago on July 19th, my Grandma passed on from this life to the next and reunited with Papa and Jesus.

Her name was Dolores, but we always called her Dee. The significance behind a rose in this poem was that Rose was her middle name. When I was trying to figure out a way to incorporate her into words, I found that the flower she was named after was best used to describe her. A rose. She truly was like a rose. Abundant with color so vibrant that it overflowed. And she was stubborn like those prickly thorns. They stand their ground and refuse to stand down.

One of the many definitions of a rose is: an emblem of beauty, delicacy, or purity. And she was all of these. She was a beautifully, delicate woman who loved the Lord and loved everyone to her purest, fullest ability. There are many other words that could’ve been used to describe this woman, but by far, “rose” suited her best.

I wrote this poem as, I guess you could say, my way of grieving. I haven’t had much time to sit and truly process that she is gone now, but I also feel as if it’s slightly wrong for me to grieve because I know she’s in heaven and no longer suffering. And I’m beyond joyful for her. So why should I grieve? Is there a healthy way of grieving even when you know your loved one is at peace? I like to believe that there is. As my own mother told me last night, “There is a certain level of grief that is healthy and we should go through.” She was right. But then again, when has she been wrong? Maybe a time or two, but it’s rare.

The main point is this: Grief is what makes us human. It’s what shapes us and helps us grow into who we are. Maybe one day I’ll talk further on this topic, but for now, just know that your grief is valid. It took writing all of this for me to realize it myself. We all grieve in different ways, but we have to learn how to cope in a healthy way. Holding onto the words of the Lord instead of hanging onto the world’s.