a blessing for learning to live with grief

(and a little announcement for my substack subscribers)

Blessed are you when grief has settled down in some corner of your soul, no longer a temporary guest, but a permanent resident.

Blessed are you who have been earmarked or bookended by absence.

Blessed are you when you can no longer put on a brave face, because to “fake it” betrays your reality.

Blessed are you who have lost your mettle, your momentum, your dream-filled imagination.

Blessed are you when a song, a scent, a drive on a certain street takes you all the way back.

Blessed are you when your prayers are tears on the bathroom floor, when your worship songs are silent screams in the shower, when your spiritual practice is tossing and turning at night.

Blessed are you as you attend to duties: return the library books, respond to emails, send back the no-longer needed purchases, shop for fewer groceries than before, organize the closets – all while traversing tectonic shifts in your soul.

You know things, feel things, steward things you didn’t – before grief moved in. But these knowings, these emotions, and the heft of what you tend to – they matter deeply.

Your vulnerability, your depth, your courage, and your intimacy with grieving make you a trustworthy guide for others. You reveal sacred mysteries to the world – just by being you.

You have joined the great throng of those who have walked though suffering and somehow survived— not unscathed.

But still standing.

And you are the one to whom God draws near.

Two things, if you’ll allow me:

1. I’m so honored to invite you to pre-order What We Find in the Dark: Loss, Hope, and God’s Presence in Grief (releasing April 8). In order to receive the beautiful gift bundle we’ve put together for you - which includes an original piece of digital art, an audio book, and an e-book of “The Dark Night of the Soul” by St. John of the Cross - be sure to pre-order the book at your favorite outlet, then claim your gift bundle at aubreysampson.com.

2. I am so grateful for you, my substack subscribers. So, you are the very first people to receive this announcement: My new podcast, the What We Find in the Dark Podcast, arrives on all listening platforms on March 2nd. Brought to you by the incredible team at Nothing is Wasted, I would love to have you join me and my guests - pastors, authors, and thought-leaders as we discuss loss, grief, doubt, spiritual disillusionment, faith, and what in the world God is doing in dark nights of the soul. More details to come.