comfort

Bless the comforters.

Posted on by Shari Swanson

Bless the comforters, those who reach out and see others hurting and grief stricken, and offer them solace. Who sit with those going through difficult times, and give of their presence. Who offer kind, comforting words.

We sometimes think those who are good at comforting don’t know loss of their own, but the opposite is probably true.

As said by Rainer Maria Rilke:

Do not assume that he who seeks to comfort you now lives untroubled among the simple and quiet words that sometimes do you good. His life may also have much sadness and difficulty, that remains far beyond yours. Were it otherwise, he would never have been able to find such words.

Perhaps the only good to come of great loss is the ability to recognize it in others and offer them comfort and companionship.

Bless the comforters.

Words of comfort.

Posted on by Shari Swanson

How are you doing? For many of us, we are stressed and overcome by the events of the day, with each day revealing ever more things to keep us up at night. How do we cope?

Blaming ourselves for this stress, or piling on isn’t kind. We wouldn’t do that to someone we cared about. Instead, we would remind our loved one how much we care about them, of how glad we are that they are part of our lives, and of how we will get through these challenging times. After all, we have survived every difficulty life has thrown us so far.

Perhaps we would remind our loved one of the things that bring them joy and look for ways to help them incorporate more of these things into their days.

These are some of the ways we can help each other with the stress. We need to help ourselves in just this way as well. Remind yourself that you have gotten through many difficulties before and will get through this. Look for ways to bring more joy and connection into your life. Seek out things that bring you comfort, and learn how to de-stress

From Shari: What are some ways you have brought yourself comfort during this pandemic?

For me, I’ve found that long-distance running brings me relief. I have an elliptical now so my knees don’t complain, and I can run and run and run until I feel calm.

What works for you?