Sorrow
December 16, 2020
Alicia Reese

Sorrow
Come sit with me
On this stone of sorrow;
Weep, lest I weep alone.
We may have laughing again...
Tomorrow;
But today, I'll rest
On this sorrowing stone,
Together with you
Or alone.

This poem was written by Don Bouchard, the son of Lois Thiessen Love’s late cousin Verna. He wrote it in the wake of his mother’s death.

I am honored that it was shared with me and I was given permission to share it with you all. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite poems and I’ll tell you why: it is one’s honest and vulnerable expression of grief in the midst of that grief. This is a rare and precious thing to receive. The way it is written, and so consequently, the way it’s read somehow enables you to feel their grief yourself. It makes me want to sit on the “sorrow stone” with them.

Another reason why I love this poem is the writer’s ability to lean into their sorrow, allowing "Sorrow" to be a companion of sorts, while acknowledging the grief will not last forever, or at least it will change over time. The poem values and understands the importance of taking time and creating space to grieve -- to sit and rest on a “sorrow stone.” This is not something we often do or we try not to.

Many in our midst have had a loved one die recently. And we are all experiencing some kind of grief or loss in our lives. Have you been able to sit and rest on your “sorrow stone?” This evening will be our Blue Christmas service, I wonder if this might be an opportunity for you to do just that. Whatever you are going through or struggling with or whatever or whoever you are grieving, know that you are not alone.

God of all, of life and death, of joy and sorrow, you, too, have known pain and grief. You, too, have wept. Let us know that in these experiences we are not alone. Comfort us. Comfort us on our sorrow stone. Amen.