My friend Mark Malek wrote this, and it blew me away. If you have ever lost someone you love, or you simply struggle with mortality, read this. To read more of his incredible work, go to http://markwilsonmalek.blogspot.com/
Grief-
Grief comes up every once in a while and fills the sky, seeming to cover everything in its mist. We gather under its haze, recalling the rattling of pots and pans on Thanksgiving Morning, the rustle of cards being dealt on rainy afternoons in the summer, and the warmth of an embrace as were greated at the door for a Christmas visit. These memories are deceiving because they often come wrapped with regret of love lost and the fragility of our bones. But without this grief we can never realize the capacity we have to love another human. Without these periods of grief we wouldn’t know the awe struck beauty of joy, the warmth of the sun whose brightness is only determined by our willingness to let it shine upon us. The scandal of grace is that the rays of light that tear the night sky apart have been given to us without payment. Let us allow the light to fill this room. May these memories only be paired with rejoicing in the Divine Romance which never diminishes and never ceases. This is where we find our grandmother today, singing and dancing without any turmoil basking in the warmth of Adonai who has given us light.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.