The Sky Is Everywhere

by Jandy Nelson

It’s as if someone vacuumed up the horizon while we were looking the other way.

why bereaved people even bother with mourning clothes when grief itself provides such an unmistakable wardrobe.

“That’s a misconception, Lennie, the sky is everywhere, it begins at your feet.”

What if as much as I fear having death as a shadow, I’m beginning to like how it quickens the pulse, not only mine, but the pulse of the whole world. I

Each time someone dies, a library burns. I’m watching it burn right to the ground.

You can tell your story any way you damn well please. It’s your solo.

My sister will die over and over again for the rest of my life. Grief is forever. It doesn’t go away; it becomes part of you, step for step, breath for breath. I will never stop grieving Bailey because I will never stop loving her. That’s just how it is. Grief and love are conjoined, you don’t get one without the other. All I can do is love her, and love the world, emulate her by living with daring and spirit and joy.