Dame Maggie Smith: A Life in Theatre and Film
Dame Maggie Smith, an icon of stage and screen, has captivated audiences worldwide for over six...
Along with the initial shock, grief allows us to accept loss and change in our lives as we learn how to navigate life without our loved one. For our health we need to allow ourselves time to grieve so we can move forward, rebuild and heal, as the grieving process looks different for everyone and can be lonely and isolating.
In times of tremendous amounts of pain it can be comforting to know that others have been exactly where you are, felt the same emotions and have healed over time. There is no right or wrong way to grieve and there is no timeline, all feelings are valid and important.
In many ways words can help heal, however it can be hard to know what to say to someone who is experiencing grief and loss or express how we are feeling if we find it hard to put grief into words.
Below is a list of thoughtful, lighthearted quotes about grief and loss from those who have experienced grief before us. You can use these quotes as a reminder that you're not alone or share them with someone who is experiencing grief.
"When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure." -Unknown
"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die." - Thomas Campbell
"Grief can destroy you - or focus you. You can decide a relationship was all for nothing if it had to end in death, and you alone. OR you can realise that every moment of it had more meaning than you dared to recognize at the time, so much meaning it scared you, so you just lived, just took for granted the love and laughter of each day, and didn't allow yourself to consider the sacredness of it." -Dean Koontz
"Without you in my arms, I feel an emptiness in my soul. I find myself searching the crowds for your face-I know it's an impossibility, but I cannot help myself." - Nicholas Sparks
"And when great souls die, after a period peace blooms, slowly and always irregularly. Spaces fill with a kind of soothing electric vibration. Our senses, restored, never to be the same, whisper to us. They existed. We can be. Be and be better. For they existed." -Maya Angelou
"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." - WInnie the Pooh
"The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not 'get over' the loss of a loved one; you'll learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to." -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler
"Absence is a house so vast that inside you will pass through its walls and hang pictures on the air" - Pablo Neruda
Grieving doesn't make you imperfect. It makes you human." - Sarah Dessen
"Never. We never lose our loved ones. They accompany us; they don't disappear from our lives. We are merely in different rooms." - Paulo Coelho
"A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again." - Maya Angelou
"Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart." - Jose N. Harris
"We bereaved are not alone. We belong to the largest company in the world - the company of those who have known suffering." - Helen Keller
"The song has ended but the melody lingers on." -Irving Berlin
"You can't truly heal from a loss until you allow yourself to really feel the loss." - Mandy Hale
"Death is a challenge. It tells us not to waste time. It tells us to tell each other right now that we love each other." - Leo Buscaglia
"The pain passes, but the beauty remains." - Pierre Auguste Renoir
"They say time heals all wounds, but that presumes the source of the grief is finite." -Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince
"What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us." - Helen Helen Keller
"Never. We never lose our loved ones. They accompany us; they don't disappear from our lives. We are merely in different rooms." - Paulo Coelho
Losing someone close to you, whether it's a death, a divorce or ending a relationship is one of the most difficult times a person will face. Our grief stays with us forever, we learn to heal and rebuild ourselves around the loss and pain we have suffered as the road to acceptance takes time.
By Alana Dintinosante
To find support:
Beyond Blue provides Australians with information and support to improve their mental health. Call 1300 22 46 36 or visit beyondblue.org.au for more information.
Lifeline Australia provides Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24-hour crisis support. Call 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au for more information.
GriefLine listens, cares and supports people experiencing loss and grief, at any stage in life. Call 1300 845 6am to midnight AEST, 7 days a week.
MensLine Australia is a professional telephone and online support and information service for Australian men. Call 1300 78 99 78, 24 hours / 7 days a week.
Kids Helpline is a free 24/7, confidential and private counselling service Australia wide specifically for children and young people aged 5 to 25 years. Call 1800 55 1800.
Life Supports Counselling provides Australians with experienced counsellors & psychologists in their local area Australia-wide. Call 1300 735... . Headspace - Meditation for Grief
