Blessed are you, dear one, when the world around you has changed.
Everything is different now,
your body, your age, your relationships, your job, your faith.
The things that once brought you joy.
The way you existed in the world.
The people you love and trust and rely on.
Things have changed and it would be silly to imagine you haven’t changed with them.
You are not who you once were.
Bless that old self,
they did such a good job with what they knew.
They made you who you were,
all the mistakes and heartbreak and naiveté and courage.
And blessed are who you are now,
you who aren’t pretending things are the same,
who continue to grow and stretch and show up to your life as it really is:
wholehearted, vulnerable, maybe a little afraid.
So blessed are we, the changed.
You & your team have helped carry me through the darkest of my time on Earth-I certainly was not a stranger to grief in that I work as a psychotherapist and have my own losses and health challlenges—this grief had its way with me hanging me on the meat hook in the underworld as in the Myth Inanna where my world changed irrevocably and all I believed in was shattered. I did not think I would ever feel the warmth of light again and frankly did not care if I never got off the that meat hook in the dark.… Read more »
Reading this is like releasing a tense and long held breath. It’s not OK to change, or that’s what the people around me believe . Things need to stay normal, we don’t do it that way, just go along and get along… a sample of of the ideas that permeate the family structure I am a part of. I am fifty-seven. I am not the person I was thirty years ago, two years ago, even a week ago. I don’t believe things are meant to stay the same, we are meant to grow up, to outgrow, to mature, and to… Read more »
Thank you, Kate…changed all are we who are not afraid.
Kate,
All I can think to say is thank you! She sat in my office yesterday describing all the change. The diagnosis of Parkinson disease 3 years ago and now breast cancer. At 73 she wants to raise her fists to God in the manner of Job.
It was a sheer blessing to be able to reference you and your journey. Thank you, a million thank you’s.
Rev Nancy Childress
Since my husband died, I am changed. And I continue to stretch to build my life without him.
I really wish you would stop promoting the same “big names” who are already everywhere (like Elizabeth Gilbert) and interview the “unknown” people with real lives and real stories of loss and pain and resilience. I would rather hear from them because they are more relatable to me.
Hi Janis. Thanks for this feedback. I’m Jessica– the producer for the show. We try to feature a mix of experts and experiencers from all ranges of celebrity (though we often pick people who have already published books). One of my favorite episodes episodes of late was with the Rev. Liz Tichenor. She speaks so beautifully about loss and grief and should be more well-known than she is because of her gorgeous writing (The Night Lake was one of my favorite reads from last year). Another favorite from last season was Sarah Sentilles who wrote the book Stranger Care. OH… Read more »
Love this, we are blessed when we grow and stretch and show up in life.
Thank u 4 such beautiful words.
This is beautiful and so true, especially as I am retired and on a new journey. Thank you so much