One of the hardest aspects of grieving is that the world seems to carry on without you while you try to get back on your feet. You begin to wonder whether you were ever really part of the picture. You smile on the outside and cry on the inside, trying not to rain on anyone’s parade.

It’s impossible to express with words or tears what you feel anyway, so you eventually stop trying and stop talking. If you understand the bigger picture and aren’t plagued by greater questions such as “Why?” or “Why me?” there’s really nothing to say anyway.

Some losses are accompanied by fanfare while others are experienced privately, alone, or in silence. All testify to a bigger picture and a larger tragedy. We are all replaceable, dust for dust. Our value exists fully apart from us, in the hearts of those who truly love us, and they are often the ones who get the least of us.