Finding Inspiration in Grief
Posted on June 25, 2015 by Sara Weeks, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Life is an opportunity to be and to find inspiration--to investigate what is possible despite obstacles or, perhaps, because of them.
Eight years ago today my sister Meggan committed suicide. Every year on this day I spend time reflecting on her and her life. Usually, I wonder what I could have done to help her, working through my grief, anger, confusion. But today something shifted.
Today, my first thought about Meggan was about inspiration—what an inspiration she was and continues to be to me and so many others. Her depression may ultimately have been the cause of her death but, for many years, it was the catalyst for her life.
Meggan had a gift for believing in and encouraging people to be their best selves—to pursue passion and fun and fulfillment. And she lived what she believed: through teaching, volunteering, dancing, boxing, singing, learning, and being a loyal and devoted friend and sister, Meggan epitomized what it means to be curious about and embrace life without apology. She was the kind of person who would order chocolate cake for dinner while the rest of us ordered burgers or tacos. “Dessert is the best part,” she’d explain before digging in.
She could listen like nobody’s business, getting to the heart of the problem with precision and compassion. In my late 20s, when I was struggling with my own depression, I called Meggan to share what I was experiencing. I confessed to her my belief that no one would miss me if I went away. Her simple response: “I would miss you.”
I miss my sister. Suicide is complicated. The grief surrounding death is complicated. Yet the uncomplicated truth about life is that it is an opportunity to be and to find inspiration—to investigate what is possible despite obstacles or, perhaps, because of them.
