🕯️ Opening Reflection
“The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal, every other affliction to forget; but this wound we consider it a duty to keep open; this affliction we cherish and brood over in solitude.”
—Washington Irving
Today’s passage stopped me in my tracks. It made me ask myself a difficult question:
Am I holding on to grief as a way to hold on to Mark?
🌙 Dreams That Stir the Soul
Bryce and I have both had dreams about Mark lately—odd, vivid dreams that leave us wondering when we wake. Are they just the mind’s way of missing someone so deeply? Or is Mark gently reminding us he’s still with us in spirit?
📦 Packing Memories, Not Just Boxes
As we prepare to leave this house, every drawer, every closet, every corner echoes with memories. Mark’s presence is everywhere—from the tools he used to the notes he wrote.
I keep finding pieces of him, and while I’m grateful, I’m also overwhelmed. My mind feels tangled in the weight of what was—and the uncertainty of what’s next.
💞 The Heart Carries What the Hands Cannot
But I know this:
Love doesn’t disappear when we pack up a room.
The memories, the laughter, the prayers we shared—they’re etched into my heart, not just the walls.
Martha’s words from Healing After Loss struck something profound.
Sometimes we mistake the act of grieving for the only way to keep our loved ones near. But that’s not true.
Mark isn’t gone because I smiled today.
He’s not further away because I laughed or found peace again.
🌈 Moving Forward Without Leaving Them Behind
We can hold on to their memory without holding on to the pain.
Grief isn’t meant to be a prison. It’s a passage.
A sacred road we walk.
And eventually, we don’t stop missing them—but we stop believing that missing them is the only way to stay connected.
So as I pack this home, I remind myself:
I’m not packing away, Mark. I’m carrying him with me.
🙏 A Scripture for the Soul
“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” —John 14:18
With love,
Dyan
Hickman, Martha W. Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Grief Recovery (p. 200). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
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