March: On Death

March 8

Today's reflection was inspired by a quote from J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye.

Despite what our culture or society or others may have you believe, there is no allotted amount of socially acceptable time to mourn someone or something or whatever it is you might be mourning. 

We all mourn in our own time. Don't rush your healing.

So if you’ve lost someone, find the support you need to be able to continue taking care of yourself and your remaining loved ones, but you don’t ever have to stop missing them when you see their favorite flower. You don’t ever have to stop thinking of them when you hear a song they loved or watch their favorite movie. 

Feel those emotions when they come back up. Sit with the ghost of them. Honor them. Because to you, they were probably a thousand times nicer than the people you know that are still alive and all—for God’s sake.

• Reflection title: Love Them Long After They’re Gone
• Creative inspiration: J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
• Reflection Question: If I’ve lost a loved one, have I pushed down my feelings of mourning? How can I honor and sit with their memory today?