The Process of Grief

Grief is a process well documented in text books, and psychological journals. But as for me the best process is a creative one where the end result is something tangible to the eye, or pleasant to the ear. And so is my humble offering today for those who grieve.

Void of Silence

And then there was nothing
Where once there was music
Yet memories are kind
They keep me sane
When fear comes again
Life goes on
In Monday morning strain
As I rise in a darkened room
No light
Only a presence
A shadow of doubt
In a heart reaching out
Through a void of silence.

Is it an angel
Or just a dream
Comforts me
With her wings
Prayerful longings
Beside a stream
Busy days
Lonesome nights
Can't steal her away
Though a void of silence grows
The further I go
Down a snow covered road
without you.

Peace
It is inevitable
I draw from a gathering
Tapping keys, and a choir sings
To comfort me
But love,
The long journey home
Travels alongside
Whispering
“You are not alone
Within this void of silence.”

D.A. Wittler 1/18

A Few Thoughts At 6 A.M.

When you get a call, and your kid is hurting so much, but found the courage to share it with you, that's when you are grateful to be a dad. When his voice barely breaks, and he tells the story of how he lost the best friend he has ever had, that's when you know for sure that you did something right in his life. But even more so, when you know this extremely sorrowful moment in this life will fuel his resolve, build him up to face many more challenges in his life, that's when you know he has grown so much, and you don't have to worry any more that he's going to make it.
So this is what I do at 6 A.M. I write, I pray, and  I put my faith on the path in front of me to ease the way, if only till the next time.
For you Son.

If I Had Words

If I had words for you
They would attempt to comfort
But they could not erase your pain
Or replace your sense of loss.

If I had words for you
They would conjure memories
But they could not forge new ones
As you had only just begun to dream.

If I had words for you
They would not be needed
Or spoken
But felt so deep
You could hear them
Or read them
In tears streaming down my face.

D.A. Wittler 1/18