Eugene H. Peterson Quotes

I know when my parents passed away, I wanted all the support I could get.

These displays of affection mean a lot to our family and are a reminder of the heart that my people have. In this time of grief we ask for a little privacy and space to digest this news; our sister was our sun and we are broken by her departure.

I think when you suffer a tremendous loss, everybody needs love and support in tangible ways. And that's what people have done for us.

I held the generous, strong, beautiful hand of my first wife Cassie as ovarian cancer took her life much too soon.

Going through an illness and then death of a close friend has changed my attitudes to friendship enormously.

When you've lost a loved one, you realise how grateful you are for any help in those moments, and any scheme that tries to help families during that terrible time gets my backing.

The truth is, it was my Nanna and Grandad who helped me get over my mum's death. Surrounding me with infinite, unquestioning love, they were classic kinship carers.

But there is a discomfort that surrounds grief. It makes even the most well-intentioned people unsure of what to say. And so many of the freshly bereaved end up feeling even more alone.

There's a general impulse to distract the grieving person - as if you could.

My softer side? I mean, I like to snuggle.

I had some really dear friends who died from AIDS-one in particular. His family wasn't around and he didn't have many friends. I spent a lot of time with him in his later days.

Through my research, I found that vulnerability is the glue that holds relationships together. It's the magic sauce.

Not to be weird, but I still have an ongoing relationship with my mom, even though she passed away, and I've been surprised at how much I've been able to convey to her. Now I sound like a total weirdo, but that's true.

I knew that my father was going to die of heart disease, and I was trying to make a heart for him.

Every human being must find his own way to cope with severe loss, and the only job of a true friend is to facilitate whatever method he chooses.

People in grief need someone to walk with them without judging them.

The difficulty about all this dying, is that you can't tell a fellow anything about it, so where does the fun come in?

At a family's most difficult time, I want to make sure at a minimum that they have the very basic of comforts: the ability to grieve their loss privately and the knowledge that their country is grateful for their loved one's sacrifice and service.

I know what you go through when you learn someone close to you has died.

Seven years is a long time, and he was there for me, when my mum died. He was very compassionate at that time. I couldn't have found anyone better in that situation.

I have a file of letters and bits of ephemera from friends who have died. I have had lots of friends who died of AIDS.

We should not clap our hands and mourn, for he is out of trouble. You are still in it.

Generally, the younger the victim, the greater the grief. Yet even when the elderly or infirm have been afforded merciful relief, their loved ones are rarely ready to let go.

We're all, whether we like it or not, gonna have to deal with bereavement at some point in our lives, and it's something I think, as a society, maybe we shy away from.

During my grandma's funeral, I looked over once and saw my mom crying, and I felt so bad for her.