April 5 2021

By: Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, April 5, 2021

This month our theme is “Leaning Into Sorrow.” According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, sorrow and grief have the same definition, “deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved.” However, these words feel a little different to me. Grief feels all-encompassing - the natural reaction to any kind of loss. Sometimes we have small griefs and sometimes we have big ones. Sorrow feels like it is always about the big griefs. Sorrow also feels like it includes love and joy. I think of these words from Kahlil Gibran:

“Your joy is sorrow unmasked…
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”

How about for you, what are your thoughts about the difference between grief and sorrow? And do you think you lean into your sorrow?

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