The Grief Rulebook

There is a certain rulebook we play by when confronted by the grief that assails a friend who has lost someone. We attend a funeral, we bake a casserole, we offer condolences.

But if we are honest, there is little answer for the crushing grief that crashes in during the midnight hours. There is no timeline for when the tears should stop.

The rulebook is merely a construct that we erect, hoping to ballast ourselves against pain we cannot control. It does not address a thousand other situations where the sorrow runs just as deep. It is not our hope.