Schmerz

“Schmerz.”

Have you ever felt it?

Have you ever experienced grief so deeply that you feel it not just emotionally but across all your senses?

You feel the pain in your body.

Your heart feels heavy inside your chest.

Your legs feel like they are slogging through thick mud.

Sounds, smells, textures, lights - they all hurt and overwhelm you.

Everything hurts.

Schmerz.

When translated, this German word for grief is a word used to describe ALL facets of pain - not just the physical sense.

Grief is schmerz.
Grief is pain - in all forms.
Of course it is.

Grief is more than just sadness.
It is pain like nothing else.
It cuts you to the core, turns your life upside down, and makes so many days feel impossible.

When you lose someone, schmerz is something you carry with you always.
Sometimes the weight of it is crushing.
Sometimes the weight feels light like a pebble - just a palpable reminder.

Either way, grief is a constant companion - and so is schmerz.

In the English language the opposite of grief is joy. But anyone who has ever grieved knows this is simply not true.

Grief and joy can coexist but joy does not take away the grief and it cannot erase the schmerz.

Somedays nothing can.

On those days, give yourself permission to lean into the pain of your grief - lean in to the schmerz.