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Giving voice
Father Dn. Thomas Johnson-Medland, CSJ
If you bring forth what is with- down the aggregates that make us mind disheveled and disorga-
in you, what you bring forth up as people. Although I list four nized. The affected mind forgets,
will save you. If you do not here, there may be more, or there loses, becomes disoriented; it is
bring forth what is within you, may be a different way of breaking confused, tired, aimless, and
what you do not bring forth them down for each individual. unable to muster enough
will kill you. I believe we are a composite of strength to believe.
-The Gospel of Thomas, mind, heart, soul, and body. We Traditionally, we hold the heart
verse 70 think, we feel, we desire, and we to be the part of us that feels. We
have a specific locus on this earth also believe this aspect of our per-
The path of grief and grieving is that we begin from and operate sonality senses and intuits what is
in effect no different from the path out of. Each of these aggregates going on. It loves, hates, forgives, is
of any psychotherapeutic process in our lives has a way of being jealous, finds humor and sorrow; it
of healing: if we do not allow that when life is allegedly normal is fond, it is romantic, it seethes; it is
which is within us concerning our and a way of being when we are in peaceful, patient, gentle, and kind.
loss to emerge, it will overcome us crisis, in growth, and in grieving. When it is affected by a loss and is
and eat us alive. Like a dragon Traditionally, we hold the mind grieving, just like a calm pond that
devouring a knight, grief will rear to be the part of us that thinks. We is disrupted by the dropping of a
its ugly head and consume us if also believe this part of us sorts, pebble, it is disturbed, and ripples
we do not clear the pathways organizes, remembers, stores, cata- flow across its surface and into its
within and allow it to come up logs, retrieves, chooses, decides, depths.
and out of us. interprets, researches, questions, This disturbance halts the
When trying to understand and believes. When it is affected by hearts ability to love; to forgive;
where the things trying to get out a loss and is grieving, just like a or to be patient, gentle, or kind. It
of us are, I find it helpful to break calm pond that is disrupted by the may move toward the opposite
dropping of a pebble, it is dis- emotion much more quickly than
Father Dn. Thomas Johnson-Medland, CSJ, turbed, and ripples flow across its it would normally, or it may just
Lighthouse Hospice, Morrisville, Pennsyl- surface and into its depths. not be able to muster the strength
vania. The disturbance leaves the to feel and so becomes numb.
2 Healing Ministry
Volume 13, Number 4, Fall 2006