Please Be Gentle

This is a poem that I found on another blog, and it really spoke to me. I still struggle everyday with my dad's death. There were so many thing left unfinished, unresolved. It was so sudden, so unexpected, so heart-wrenching....I don't know, honestly, if I will EVER get over it. I still find myself talking about him to complete strangers...spilling the story. I know that at some point I will be at peace with him being gone...bit right now, it's still very fresh and painful, and it's been over a year. Almost 13 months.

Please Be Gentle
By Jill B. Englar

Please be gentle with me for I am grieving.
The sea I swim in is a lonely one
and the shore seems miles away.
Waves of despair numb my soul
as I struggle through each day.
My heart is heavy with sorrow.
I want to shout and scream
and repeatedly ask 'why?'
At times, my grief overwhelms me
and I weep bitterly,
so great is my loss.
Please don’t turn away
or tell me to move on with my life.
I must embrace my pain
before I can begin to heal.
Companion me through tears
and sit with me in loving silence.
Honor where I am in my journey,
not where you think I should be.
Listen patiently to my story,
I may need to tell it over and over again.
It’s how I begin to grasp the enormity of my loss.
Nurture me through the weeks and months ahead.
Forgive me when I seem distant and inconsolable.
A small flame still burns within my heart,
and shared memories may trigger
both laughter and tears.
I need your support and understanding.
There is no right or wrong way to grieve.
I must find my own path.
Please, will you walk beside me?