William Shakespeare wrote many plays: comedies, histories, and tragedies. He also wrote poetry, especially sonnets. He wrote all this centuries ago, yet his words are read, spoken, and performed around the world still. Have you thought about the power and importance of the words you write?
In Macbeth Shakespeare wrote:
“Give sorrow words.
The grief that does not speak
Whispers the o’er fraught heart,
And bids it break.”
When I read these words, I contemplated all the words I have given to my grief. In early grief, the words seemed to float in my consciousness, not sticking together or seeming to make sense. I realized that to be able to truly contemplate my situation, I had to find a way to tie the words together into thoughts to give my sorrow words. So, I started writing.
My early grief writing was fragmented and written without a clear sense of purpose. When a thought was not clear, I started writing out what I was thinking. The more I wrote, the clearer my ideas became. This was not writing I would share with anyone. I used it for reflection. I explored the spaces left empty from my loss to fill them up with a new sense of purpose.
The more I wrote, the more I expressed my grief by committing my thought to paper, and the more I could see I was making progress in moving forward. I started craving the process of writing making my journal my cherished friend. The more I wrote, the better I felt as I was making discoveries about who the new me was becoming.
My career teaching writing at the university imbued in me the importance of the written word. I chose to start channeling my writing into the comfort and support I could bring to those dealing with grief and loss. By becoming comfortable with the words I shared, I saw the value of my experience to shepherd others through their loss. The Grief and Happiness Alliance has allowed me that opportunity.
The words you commit to writing can support you immeasurably now and can comfort your loved ones in the future.
Write on–
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