Friday, July 17th, 2020
Hello friends—
Today, I want to share with you and pay tribute to two writers that have inspired and comforted me in life and especially in times of loss.
Clive Staples Lewis
• November 29, 1898 — November 22, 1963
In 2012, after my mom passed away I started reading more of C. S. Lewis’ work beyond the Narnia Series. I read “A Grief Observed” and I connected to his writings in an unexpected way. My experience was of a “Shared Grief” the story was relatable beyond the shared sense of grieving a loved one. His words were reassuring and real although they had been written years before. He wrote the book following the death of his beloved wife, Joy Davidman in 1960. The book was first published in 1961 under the pseudonym N.W. Clerk, as Lewis wished to avoid identification as the author. I would highly recommend reading, “A Grief Observed” to anyone who has experienced loss.
Quotes from “A Grief Observed”:
“We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, ‘Blessed are they that mourn,’ and I accept it. I’ve got nothing that I hadn’t bargained for. Of course it is different when the thing happens to oneself, not to others, and in reality, not imagination.”
“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing.”
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Alfred Lord Tennyson
• August 6, 1809 — October 6, 1892
In regards to Alfred Lord Tennyson, I have often used a quote from one of his poems written during 1833-1850. I was unaware that the quote was written by Tennyson and the story behind the poem. The first time I remember using the quote was in the late 1980’s. At the time, I was young and my heart had been broken for the very first time by someone I loved and trusted. Oh the pains of first love and before I really knew what that really meant. The loss I experienced opened up many wounds and opportunities, the most positive was a pathway of expressing myself through words. I began to write down my thoughts, feelings and emotions that ultimately lead me to this space on WordPress. The quote and subsequent altar where I placed my grieving heart is…
I am thankful for hearts that heal and a God that loves me unconditionally. I still believe in the wise words that Tennyson wrote so many years ago, to fully know the depth and power of what love really is, one must also experience the pain of losing such a love. The same is true in life, the knowledge of right and wrong can be difficult to grasp without experiences. I have chosen difficult roads during my life mostly due to my stubbornness and fears, the consequences are natural cause and effect. I have loved and lost a few times and I’m still hoping for a “happily ever after” someday if it’s God’s will. Live and learn!
Below is a brief excerpt from “one of the greatest poems of the 19th century.”
In Memoriam A.H.H.
I envy not in any moods
The captive void of noble rage,
The linnet born within the cage,
That never knew the summer woods:
I envy not the beast that takes
His license in the field of time,
Unfetter’d by the sense of crime,
To whom a conscience never wakes;
Nor, what may count itself as blest,
The heart that never plighted troth
But stagnates in the weeds of sloth;
Nor any want-begotten rest.
I hold it true, whate’er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
‘Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
—Alfred Lord Tennyson
The original title of the poem was “The Way of the Soul”, it is an account of Tennyson’s thoughts and emotions as he grieves over the death of a close friend, Arthur Henry Hallam, who died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage in Vienna in 1833 at the age of 22. The poem contains some of Tennyson’s most accomplished lyrical work, and is an unusually sustained exercise in lyric verse. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest poems of the 19th century.
Until next time…🌻💛🙏🏻
Be good to yourself! Be kind to one another! Share LOVE! Please practice healthy social distancing along with good health and hygiene habits! 😷 May God Bless You in a special way today. Amen. 🙏🏻❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍🤎💗🔆🌻
~Peace~ ειρήνη~Charlotte 🌻🙏🏻☀️
ειρήνη– “Peace” in Greek, reference listed the below.
References:
https://biblehub.com/greek/1515.htm
https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Alfred-Lord-Tennyson/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred,_Lord_Tennyson
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45336/in-memoriam-a-h-h-obiit-mdcccxxxiii-27
HOPE SEEKER 
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