Please Be Gentle
Carol Adams

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 from me
or tell me to move on with my life...
I must embrace my pain before I can heal...

Companion me through my tears...
sit with me in loving silence...
honor me where I am on this journey...

Don't forget me or my child...
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 though the weeks and months ahead...
Forgive me when I am distant or inconsolable...
A Small flame still burns inside my heart...

Memories trigger both  laughter and tears...
There is no right or wrong way to grieve...

We each must find our own paths...
but... please will you walk beside me?

Thank you Lord, for all that I learn from my brokenness...
and for the courage it takes to live with my pain...
and for the strength it has taken to stay on shore...