Quotessence
Home / Authors / Shelby Forsythia

Shelby Forsythia Quotes

Author

Filter quotes by topic

Famous Shelby Forsythia Quotes

“I stood laughing in the kitchen because for the first time since my mom had died, I saw my whole self in my grief. I embraced her and let her be what she was. I didn’t reject her life, and I didn’t reject her in mine. I allowed her to show up as the messy, heartbroken, rage-filled nut that she was...and I loved her. I was delighted by her and humored by her and honored to be in her powerful, awesome presence.”

“Asking our emotions to stay predictable, easy, and flat in grief is like asking the ocean to be a smooth, glassy, back- yard pool. It’s just not possible. Can you imagine an ocean that didn’t roar and crash into the shore? It wouldn’t be an ocean, would it? We allow our humanness in grief by giving ourselves permission to experience our feelings in their fullness as they surface.”

“Grief does not want to force itself into a life, a body, or an identity it has outgrown. Grief does not want to take shelter in a new life, a new body, or a new identity it is not ready to call home. Grief wants to be given time, space, and support in the in-between. It wants to be given room to help you decide who you are in the aftermath of loss without the pressure to decide RIGHT NOW.”

“Grief looks, feels, and shows up differently to each person. Just like no two losses are alike, no two griefs are alike, either. You cannot know the full depth of another person’s experience and they cannot know the full depth of yours.”

“Grief is not a linear slide into darkness. It is a cyclical path that eventually rotates into light. Spring comes after the cold, harsh winter. Yes, there are seasons when grief is louder and more disruptive, but there are also seasons when grief backs off, your strength returns, and night turns into morning.”

“Pain puts us in close contact with ourselves. When we are wounded by loss, we become vulnerable. It’s in that place of helplessness and hopelessness that we are broken open enough to receive light—emotions like comfort, peace, and hope flow in alongside grief. It’s as if loss shatters us so much that we have no choice but to experience heartbreak and hope simultaneously. Where we most hurt is exactly where we will best heal.”