"Be Strong"
by Martha Weiss

"Be strong…"
And what does that mean?!

"Be strong…"
…and "don't let this get to you"

"Be strong…"
…and "hold up," "go on,"
Don't dare show how much it hurts!

OR…

Be strong….
Allow your grief to engulf you,

Be strong…
And allow your feelings out,

Be strong…
And allow the grief process heal you,
As long as it takes…
for as long as it takes?

Allow yourself to be raw…
Allow yourself the guilt,
the intensity of your feelings

OR…

"Hole them up…"
So that all around you will feel better
So all will know that you are trying to…

"Be Strong!"

Author's Note
Written in response to a relative's remarks just days after we lost Dorothy Theresa 7/1/96. I came home and wrote this in my journal, in a fury! Needless to say, her "advice" was not well taken!