YOU ARE ALLOWED TO EXPERIENCE LOVE
For the one who is quietly grieving the loss of connection:
Slow down.
Breathe deep.
There is grace for you to feel what you need to feel,
no matter how small or great your grief.
Perhaps you have observed that your community changed. Maybe you have noticed your group of friends begin to go their separate ways. Maybe you thought you found the one you would spend the rest of your life with, only to not have things work out. Even if you have had to move to a different city or to a new job, the weight of a lost connection can leave you feeling isolated, forgotten, and even rejected.
And the thing is, there will never be anything else like what you had. You will never meet another person who is exactly like the person who you felt so connected to. But you are allowed to grieve what was, while also having hope that just because the beautiful parts of the past cannot be repeated or replaced, that does not mean you cannot have a beautiful future that will be meaningful and special in its own way.
You might not bond with this new person in the same way you did with someone else, but that friendship can still be beautiful. You might not feel the same familiarity in this new city that you felt in your last city, but you can still have a meaningful, adventurous life right here. You might not experience how anything could ever compare to that night, that conversation, that relationship, or that season of life, but you can still find connection here in the present moment. Yes, the present moment will look different from the past, but perhaps, that can be a beautiful thing.
It is okay to say "I miss what was" while anticipating what is yet to come. You can acknowledge the good and the valuable lessons that came out of the past without dwelling on the past. You can open your heart to let someone in without thinking that it will be exactly like it was before.
Not all people are the same.
Not all cities are the same.
Not all seasons of life are the same.
And you are not the same.
You have grown and you are changing and you are allowed to experience beauty, love, goodness, and connection, no matter what yesterday looked like.
Take heart.
Breathe deep.
Allow yourself to say
“things will be different
and I will be okay.”
Word of the day: Anticipate (v): “look forward to” (Oxford)
Journal: What kind of relationships are you seeking right now? How can you start to become the person you long to connect with?
Affirmation: “I have hope for what’s to come.”
More in this week's series called "Natural Rhythms Of Grace", only with a subscription in the Storyteller App.
Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols
@thestorytellerco
@morganharpernichols
