[splendra]

One of my favorite books of all times is:

"The Book of Qualities" by: J. Ruth Gendler

In it the author writes beautiful stories poems about human qualities. Since there are so many who have lost loved ones here I thought I would share this sweet story about grief.

GRIEF-

Before she came to town Grief was a woman
named Eliea. She was a potter, and she glazed her
big-bellied pots with earth colors until they shone
like dull bronze. She had four children. The daugh-
ters live inland now in the distant foothills, and the
oldest son left the family as soon as he could get
away. It was the young boy with the golden curls and
laughing eyes who gave her great joy. He Loved
the ocean. He was barely walking when he learned
to swim and not much older when he started to sail.
One day about two years ago the sailors brought his
boat home empty.

Never have I heard such sounds of weeping as when
Grief found her son had drowned. She screamed
and howled. She stamped her feet and smashed her
pots and bowls. She ate with her fingers. She tore
at her hair, and it grew wild and matted. She wan-
dered from place to place with no sense or where
she was or how she came there.

One day at the edge of the forest Grief heard another
woman crying out. She spoke with her. She listened
to her story. Grief was surprised. She had never met
anyone else who had suffered as she had. Together
the women sat in the clearing and mourned their
children. Through the long afternoon, through the
twilight, through the night, they wept and wept and
wept and wept. In the morning Grief was washed
clean of her tears. She came to our town and started
to do her real work.



My prayers go out for all my friends her who grieve- lisa