Gone. All gone. I can’t breathe.
You can. Close your eyes. Put one hand to your belly, one hand to your heart. Breathe in through your nose, go slow. Feel the breath on your hand as your belly moves. Breathe out through your mouth, slowly. Feel the breath on your hand as your chest rises and falls.
I’m on my knees. I can’t stand.
You can. Push this breath down to your feet, send it out through your toes. Know that your feet will find firmer ground.
Everything was ripped from my arms. I have nothing left to carry.
Carry yourself. Know that you are capable of more than you know.
I want to die. I want this nightmare to end.
Death of this body comes to us all. There will be a time and a place for this but today is not your day. Close your eyes. Hand to heart, hand to belly. Breathe in, breathe out. Rise up and carry yourself forward. Look about yourself, who do you see? A man, a woman, a child? A cat, a dog, a bird in the sky? Has the rain stopped? Does the sun yet shine?
Loss comes to us all and fear comes and goes. We must trade this fear for hope. Know that death brings rebirth, brings new beginnings. The hardships force us into connection. A forced collaboration with others, though undesired, this will be the first steps taken towards healing. For today, for this moment, hand to heart, hand to belly.