JUNE 21
It isn’t for the moment you are struck that you need courage,
but for the long uphill climb back to sanity and faith and
security.
—ANNE MORROW
LINDBERGHIn the first flush of grief we are present to the needs of the
occasion almost in spite of ourselves. The forms and customs
of what to do next, how to behave, are pretty well prescribed,
and we need muster only enough energy and will to follow
along, do what is expected.
But then the rituals are over and life settles into a freer
form. The decisions to be made are not about details of the
service or where the visiting family members will sleep, but
how to get on with our lives, what to do with the silences.
Then we will need courage and fortitude.
And we will need these qualities for a long time as we
struggle to regain our footing on a path that has drastically
shifted. We will need courage for the daily walk, and confid-
ence in the goals we have set—or reset—for ourselves now
that one of our companions is no longer with us.
Give me courage for the long haul, and courage for each day’s
journey.