grief is like a tsunami

tsunami (noun):
a series of water waves that is caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, such as an ocean.

I have heard the phrase "grief is like an ocean" before and I think it is true but even more, I believe that grief is like a tsunami. Let me explain. I was at church recently, simply making a trip to the drinking fountain and passed through the courtyard where the remnants of the luncheon following a funeral were still set up. There they were, bouquets upon bouquets of flowers sent for the family, pictures of a loving mom and friend, notes and tissues and programs and punch. It was all there.

And I was still sad. Not just sad again, but another wave of sadness rushed over me about this and this and this wave of grief in the past year.

I think the initial pain of grief is like a tsunami, a wave of catastrophic proportions that rushes in without warning, ripping roots and creating confusion. And after the water receeds you are left with clean up and learning a new normal and from time to time, there is a ripple effect, little waves lapping in pools around your feet or sweeping you up. But it is not without hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (ESV)
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.