When We Let Go

by Rochelle B. Weinstein

And I wonder why the ones who need love the most are so difficult to give it to.

One day at a time means no end in sight, only another tomorrow. There are no catchy phrases to make suffering go away.

Sometimes the things people don’t say hurt worse than the things they do. It’s just the way of grief and loss. People think they’re doing you a favor by avoiding the tougher subjects, but the silence only makes the absence bigger, deafening.

“Being strong . . . it doesn’t always mean being tough. It means letting those terrible feelings in, not pushing them away. It’s letting yourself feel all of it.”

And I begin to understand more and more what it means to be a parent. It’s hoping for the best while advising and consoling, knowing there are never guarantees. It’s saying the same thing over and over again until it sticks. Never getting tired. Never giving up. And it’s never walking away.

“Love, in its many forms, guarantees two things. It can burn us, but it can also surprise us. In the best possible way.”

Love comes with risks. We can’t always protect the people we love, but we do our best. Because we really don’t have any other choice.