Gently Weep

“I look at the world and I notice it's turning

While my guitar gently weeps

With every mistake we must surely be learning

Still my guitar gently weeps…”

~ George Harrison

Wow! Seeing this exhibit of guitars gently swaying in the air with Harrison’s song playing touched my heart and soul. Art, music, lyrics, movement… such beautiful ways to express sorrow. Somehow we are healed when we find ways of expressing ourselves. It’s such an organic and mysterious process.

After my young adult son’s death, I painted in the heat of a Floridian summer outside on metal. The ‘painting’ eventually translated to scarves, kimonos, tote bags, leggings and more. Later, when I wrote my memoir about our mother-son relationship, the same design was used for the artwork on the book jacket. I wasn’t thinking, nor did I plan any of this. These acts just flowed out of me. It’s only in retrospect that I can say these forms of expression were healing.

So I ask you… when you think of your loss, what do you want to do? Bake a cake, build a stone wall, go for a walk, cry, nap…. ? Whatever it is, find a way to care for yourself. Find a way to express your feelings and thoughts. Simply do the next best thing.