Grief: There is Life After Death
(Originally published NATION TALK | REAL TALK, REAL ISSUES (wordpress.com)
By Kenneth R. Jenkins
Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash
“Death, a necessary end, will come when it will come.”
One of my neighbors lost someone who was part of her life and we spoke briefly in the elevator. When she got into the elevator, I could tell by her demeanor, that she still feels the loss but all I could do is to tell her to be encouraged.
Losing someone is one of the hardest things anyone can face. Losing a loved one is even tougher.
I remember when my grandma Queen died. She was the last grandparent that was left in my family. Early morning, July 13, 2005, my brother Vinson was with grandma at my mom’s house. According to Vinson, she looked at Vinson and that’s when he asked her, “ready to go home?” She let Vinson know she was and just like that, she was gone.
I was staying at my brother Kevin with his wife and boys house and the call that my grandma, my sweetheart, has gone and so, we stopped by the house and there she was looking like she was just sleeping. The rest of the family, some of the other grandchildren, her Hospices nurse, mom’s pastor and then the funeral home to pick up her body.
The morning was eventful as folks came to give condolences to the family as the next step was planning Ms. Queen’s homegoing service in which my sister jumped right in to do the planning of all that needed to be done.
Grief is a process we all go through in one form or another: it is a part of life. We’re born, we live, and we die, it is the circle of life in which we all must go through one day.
I am writing this for those who lose someone close to them and feel sad or lost along the way. This is for those who are very much in need of encouragement in order to get through what you are feeling right now.
Be of good courage and keep the memories of the one your loss alive in your heart.
Kenneth R. Jenkins is a freelance poet, minister, and devoted husband living in Savannah, GA.
