Beyond lament

It seems to me that just one of the purposes of lament

might be the enabling of a re-orientation

Naming loss and fear may be the first steps

to realising hope and potential

Lament is a necessary passing place

in which we must rest for a time

before navigating whatever lies before us

A passing place that allows us

to move at a slower pace than those around us

And, like any passing place

it is not somewhere to languish

or to linger longer than necessary

It is a temporary shelter in which we glimpse

some perspective on the journey we are on

that enriches the way ahead.

Our openness to lament may determine

how we move forward into a landscape

that is littered with new and emerging features

that have replaced familiar landmarks

And, as we grieve the known and loved

we unwittingly make space 

to cautiously embrace 

a new way forward

A way we did not anticipate or choose

but a road we will traverse

with rawness and realness 

with vigilance and vulnerability 

with grittiness and grace 

making space for those

who also need to use

the passing places of lament along the way

until, together, we become re-orientated

to a new hope for a new journey.

May it be so.