More Articles From Susan's Notebook
Belated Thoughts On Memorial Day
Grief wears clothes of sturdy fiber so she may sit with Loss through all kinds of weather.
Recently, I was privileged to work with a group of people, each grieving the loss of a loved one. Having gone down this road myself recently, my antenna is tuned to the trials of grief.
When Memorial Day arrived, I thought we should begin a tradition of honoring the survivors as well as the dead. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day; a day set aside to honor the nation's Civil War dead. Later the definition of the holiday expanded to honor war dead from other wars. Many people also pay homage to non-military family and friends. I remember placing a miniature flag on the grave of my great-grandfather and peonies in coffee cans by the graves of my grandmothers on Decoration Day.
It seems to me, we should also honor the brave people who weather the unexpected and untimely deaths of loved ones . . . those who have lost a brother or husband or son in Iraq or another war . . . those who have lost a sister or mother or spouse in the battle against cancer, disease, alcoholism, or mental illness. I stand in awe of those who carry on when tragedy strikes.
I want to decorate the doorstep of each grieving soul with a blank book and a pen. Beginning this month, you will find some ideas for grief writing in the Write Try section of Writing News.
As The Write Path enters its tenth year (making us almost adolescent) I see neither teenage rebellion nor an identity crisis on the horizon. Although newcomers may wonder if The Write Path is for therapy or simply “a place for writers,” the true identity of Write Path writing is clear. This is a place for all writers who also embrace personal discovery. William Faulkner once said, “I never know what I think about something until I read what I've written on it.”
Write Path writers understand this: whether writing fiction, poetry, or a daily journal, reflective writing IS therapeutic. If you are writing to tell a story, help others (and yourself) comprehend the complexities of living, or working through loss and change, your best friend is paper and pen.
