After loss,
Hope can feel like a light you can barely remember.
When hope has been ripped from us,
Connecting with even its faint glimmer can become a powerful act of life.
In spite of death.
Begin seated or lying down.
Try to find even just a little bit of comfort in the way your body is positioned.
Relax your shoulders down,
Away from your ears.
Let go of any gripping with your jaw.
Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Allow your breath to gently move in and out through your nose.
As you breathe.
Listen to these words.
You are worthy of a life with joy.
You are worthy of a life with ease.
You are worthy of a life where you smile again,
Tenderly,
Authentically.
You are worthy of connection.
To be heard.
To be seen.
In all your raw grief and sadness.
You are not alone here.
Even now,
Hope does not have to be big.
It does not have to be loud.
Hope can be the smallest flicker.
A thin thread.
A soft light somewhere in the distance.
One day,
There will be moments when your heart feels full again.
Not because your loss no longer matters,
But because life can hold grief and beauty at the same time.
Take a deep breath in.
Bring your awareness to your heart space.
And exhales through your mouth with a soft sigh.
Again,
Breathe in toward your heart,
Feeling its tender edges.
And breathe out.
When hope feels swallowed by grief and sadness,
Return to these words.
Life will soften again.
Ease will find me.
Love is still with me.
I am still here.
Life will soften again.
Ease will find me.
Love is still with me.
I am still here.
Take one final breath in.
And release it through the mouth with a soft sigh.
Gently open your eyes or lift your gaze.
As you move back into your day,
May you carry your grief with tenderness.
And may even the smallest thread of hope stay near.
