Opening the Heart: from Grief to Gratitude
Grief can become a path to self-discovery.
The Journey from Grief to Gratitude
By Jayita Bhattacharjee
When grief seems to take away everything that we have, something else comes to fill us, and the process becomes the path of self-discovery. How it all reveals comes as we peel the grief, every bit of it to its core, to see and acknowledge if there was a wealth that we could mine from those unmined depths. With faith and surrendering as we give in, gratitude seems to rise.
Crushed in grief, one day astonishingly, we feel like we are sprouting. When grief gives birth to gratitude, and we begin to feel both, we are transformed. When tragedy strikes the life, and we grieve the loss of a loved one, that we are completely immersed in darkness and nothing but it, one day somehow gratitude begins to arise from the same heart that spent days and nights in a silent sobbing. The thankful heart starts to be reborn. We seem to be grateful for all the goodness rising from the dark dungeon of sorrows.
The deeds of thankfulness that were planted by the grief are now getting sprouted. It is our rebirth. Grief and gratitude, one doesn’t erase the other. We will always grieve for the loss that we face, yet from that grieving, we will recollect the happy hours, the happy times that we once had with them, and for that, we will forever remain thankful. We create a craft weaving those memories; one that can speak from our soul, that will give an unending joy.
As we explore into our sad selves while mourning, we peel off the sadness, we see the light of gratitude. As we unmask it, the beauty reveals. We can peel the pain, layer by layer while spilling out the tears of a thousand agonies, from there rises the living light of life, the light that asks a heart to remain grateful.
In light of surrendering, It is a process and a journey. We put our trust and accept the loss, in the faith that something good will arise in our lives. What we took for granted in the past, we now know that it was not meant to stay. From that realization, comes the thankfulness of what we once had, how the leaves shed in autumn, and we know what comes must go.
Knowing this, we begin to see everything in a new light with a grateful heart, giving thanks for what we have. What dies in a moment leaves behind something; it is gratitude that rises from there. The loss didn’t go in vain after all. Something did arise, and that something is beautiful. It is a heart that is beating with gratitude.
Nothing ever stays the same. We are transformed emotionally and psychologically as we begin to give thanks for all the beauties that reveal in every moment. We live in the light of consciousness. We become empowered with light. From the wounded warrior we become the carriers of light. Through such sharing, we develop a sense of community, a kinship with all around us. From grief, we rise, and in gratitude, we fly.
The acceptance of our loss will never be the ending point of grief; rather it will always be a portal to living life to the fullest. This truth of not taking anything for granted makes us conscious of all the gifts knowing those too can be taken away. It is the birth of a new beginning.
It becomes a path of self-discovery. In this rebirth, we are born as empowered beings being able to gaze at this world and life with deep thankfulness.
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About the Author
Jayita Bhattacharjee was born in Calcutta, India and later completed her education on the University of Houston in Economics, she had chosen her career as a trustee and teacher. She is an author of many books ” The Ecstatic Dance of Life,” ” Sacred Sanctuary,” ” Light of Consciousness,” ” Dewdrops of Compassion” ” The Light of Life,” ” Song of Eternity” ” The Breath of Heaven.” Find Jayita on Goodreads
