All leaving behind times
     make grief...
     and every grief
     has its requited steps.

There are no "may I?" steps...
     or "giant" steps
     to skip to the end.

Steps required—
     sometimes rested upon
     sometimes repeated...

Shock (disbelief)
Release (tears)
Denial
Physical symptoms
Guilt (self-blame)
Panic
Depression
Hostility
Re-entry
Hope
Adjustment
For a month or three or four
     or maybe even more!
     one check the list
     for the current step.

Comfort (repair) only comes
     to those whose mourning
     goes through the steps.

God's gracious time
     gradually makes past pain
     a past pain.

<--previous page
 
Points are awarded now
     for life transitions.

Too many
     and you're in trouble!

Death of Spouse  100
Divorce                 73
Marital separation  65
Jail term                 63
Death in family       63
Injury or illness       53
Get married            50
Lose job                47
Reconciliation        45
Retire                    45
The list goes on...
and you are told
to limit changes.

The problem is not
     to limit changes
     but to survive them!

Transitions are a kind of
     grief...
     a real life threat.

Something is lost
     never to be regained...
     needing to be put behind.

It's time for special care
     when transition points
     go into triple digits.

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