Opening to Grief Quotes

“Many people experience the loss of a pet as a more painful experience than the death of a family member or friend. For many of us, the love we share with animals is simple, pure, and unconditional, whereas our love for another human being reflects the history we have shared together--the good times and the disappointments. For many, love for a parent, a sibling, or a spouse is complex and conflicted.”
― Claire B. Willis, Opening to Grief: Finding Your Way from Loss to Peace

“The work [of grieving] is not to remain unbroken by love and grief but to remain there, in the great brokenness, with your eyes and your heart open, refusing to look away. There is no need to transcend being human. Liberation is to be found in listening to yourself deeply and with kindness, extending the same respect to all beings. The road to a more just and equitable world begins with listening to pain.

[Megan Devine, Foreward]”
― Claire B. Willis, Opening to Grief: Finding Your Way from Loss to Peace

“Though this may be hard to believe or accept at first, grief can be seen as an invitation to grow and, eventually, to find meaning in suffering and in the experience of loss. A heart that is broken open offers a precious gift -- a chance to become more authentic with yourself and with other people.”
― Claire B. Willis, Opening to Grief: Finding Your Way from Loss to Peace

“Holding grief close, as a companion, allows for opening to love, compassion, hope, and forgiveness.”
― Claire B. Willis, Opening to Grief: Finding Your Way from Loss to Peace

“Sometimes memories of earlier losses emerge because you were not able to grieve them fully when they occurred. Perhaps you were too busy coping with life. Or maybe you didn't give yourself permission to grieve, or you experienced multiple losses in a short period of time, and you weren't able to grieve them all. Whatever the reasons, losses that we have not processed do return and ask for our attention. A major event such as a pandemic may certainly create an opening for old griefs, as well as new losses, to come roaring in.”
― Claire B. Willis, Opening to Grief: Finding Your Way from Loss to Peace