How are you, my friend?
I want you to know that no matter how you are, YOU ARE LOVED.
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I’m thinking of you today.
Whether I’ve met you or not, I know that you are a loving, kind, good-hearted person. I know that because you are here, wanting to connect to things that matter in life — people, love, friendship, sharing, simple joys.
I hope you always remember that.
If you are having a hard time, remember to reach out to someone and ask for help. It is hard to do, but oh-so-necessary. Also, try to look for a tiny pinprick of light — anything at all that brings you comfort.
If you have lots of energy, please try to reach out to someone in your life who may be having a hard time today.
Do you know someone who has recently divorced, is broken up, is ill, or is grieving a death of a loved one? Let them know you are there for them.
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Last Sunday’s LoveGram was all about how we can contain multitudes, a phrase my friend Shawn always reminds me about.
Our lives don’t have to be black or white, this or that. We can be filled with grief and still have room for love and light.
We have space to feel and experience multiple things at once.
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I’ve been a bit of a broken record about this over the last half year, and it is worth repeating: if you are experiencing any kind of loss or grief in your life, listen to “All There Is,” Anderson Cooper’s podcast.
In Sunday’s Love Gram, I talked to you about a recent episode with Sara Bareilles on All There Is.
I want to share an excerpt with you. Sara says:
“I feel very close to people’s ache and sadness. I find that really beautiful and moving and human. It’s why I write. It’s why I make music.
So I wouldn’t want to be far away from that feeling. But I don’t want to be in the fetal position all the time or not remember what it feels like to smile. I don’t want to be that person. That doesn’t feel true to me either.
I think that the learning from my grief … is that it’s such a beautiful teacher. To draw it close is to draw yourself closer.
And the sharing of grief is essential. You actually won’t move through it alone. You must find the courage to share it. And I think you’ll be surprised how medicinal it is in a really good way.”
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In this episode of the podcast, Sara also shares some music that she’s written about grief and melancholy.
One of my favorite Sara Bareilles songs has always been “Brave.” What she is doing right now is so courageous. She’s sharing her own journey with grief, with anti-depressants, with melancholy, with the human journey.
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I listen and re-listen to these episodes — especially when I wake up in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning and I feel scared by the depth of grief.
They bring me comfort and make me feel less alone. THIS is what Sara means when she says “the sharing of grief is essential.”
Even if someone is not in the room with us or is speaking across time and miles on a podcast, it is a cord that ties our hearts together.
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If you have read this far, thank you. I’m grateful. Truly.
I’ve had a pile-up of loss and grief over the past number of months. Just last week, we got the heartbreaking news that our 16-year-old kitty, Poptart, has mouth cancer and there is nothing the vet can do for her.
Apparently it can get really painful really quickly and all we can do is LOVE HER as deeply and as fully as possible right now, for as many days or weeks as she has left.
Her lifelong fellow feline friend, Zoey, just died late last year. I’m still missing her so much. I can’t bear the thought of losing Poptart, too.
But so it is.
I love that as I was listening to the Anderson Cooper podcast at 4:30am, Poptart was curled up close to my feet, purring.
This is the all of it.
As my friend Shawn says, “We contain multitudes.” I can feel the sadness of knowing Poptart’s days are numbered and I can also feel the sweetness of her pressed against me, purring.
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I send you love today, my friend.
I send you a day that brings you connection.
I send you the ability to hold whatever is being offered to you today.
We’re all in this together. We can hold it all.
Thanks for who you are and for your beautiful spirit.
Seek celebration — even in the dark corners,
xo Sherry