Joseph Jarman Quotes

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.

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

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

He shouldn't be alone at a time like this. This is a special time for me to be around as much as I can. He needs his family and his friends and his fans.

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

The dew of compassion is a tear.

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.

I'll always remember when I bumped into Good Morning America's Robin Roberts on a flight to my mother's funeral in 1994, and how kind she was during that difficult time.

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.

We are all victims because of the circumstances, but I'm not sure what to say to any one who has lost a loved one. I know the feeling myself, and words just don't do much to ease the pain.

There are widows who long for friendly voices and that spirit of anxious concern which speaks of love.

Grief releases love and it also instills a profound sense of connection.

For example, when my mother died, the people who showed up just to put an apron on to cook, people who really do the right thing, so to speak, as my momma would always say to show that they care, a sense of community that we've lost so much in our country.

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

In general, I think people are worried about saying the wrong thing to any grieving person. On a very basic level, I think they're frightened of touching off tears or sorrow, as though someone tearing up at the mention of unhappy news would be the mentioner's fault.

Can I see another's woe, and not be in sorrow too? Can I see another's grief, and not seek for kind relief?

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

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

Our own sorrows seem heavy enough, even when lifted by certain long-term joys. But watching others hurt is the breaker of most any heart.

He who fears to weep, should learn to be kind to those who weep.

The death of my own son has made me more sensitive. It's made me more compassionate.

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

I guess, over time, I had convinced myself that I could imagine what it would be like to lose a son or daughter. You try to imagine it so that you can write the right kind of letters or form the right words to try to comfort. But you can't even come close. It is unimaginable.

I lost three cousins and a best friend, and they all came at the wrong time. Everyone told me to be strong and that they were in a better place. But I didn't want to hear that. They were gone and I will never see them again.

I don't think I ever sit there and think to kick a wound harder.