Reflections on loss

I was asked in a recent interview about the messages I receive from readers of “Hey, God? Yes, Charles.” These messages have been nothing short of wonderful and I’m grateful for every single one. But I had to be honest when the host asked about folks who were clearly suffering a loss and who wanted to talk with me. My reply was honest, “I know I never fail to disappoint. Because someone in that place of pain wants a magic answer – I certainly did – and of course, there is none.”

What I can offer from my experience is this. The shock wears off but not completely. The grief recedes, but not all the way. The pain never disappears, but it can eventually get parked on a side street instead of the main thoroughfare. Give yourself permission to grieve and, if you can, accept help both on the

ground and from a higher power. Know that peace and healing and recovery don’t all arrive at the same time or in the same degree.

Loss is tough and it can refine you. But you will learn over time it doesn’t have to define you.