Journal entry by Al Negstad — a minute ago
"Lament For A Son is in a style completely different from anything I had written previously, and from anything I have written since. Not only is it fragmentary, it is also highly metaphorical. At one point I wrote, for example: 'Sorrow is no longer the islands but the sea.' I had the sense that the words were given to me: I did not search for words to express my grief; words came to me and I took them." So writes Nicholas Wolterstorff in article entitled Grief speaks the truth in January 16, 2019 Christian Century p. 26.
Lament was written after his college age son died in a mountain climbing accident. When he writes "Sorrow is no longer the islands but the sea." I understand by that, much what I mean when I say that I know life in the land of grief. Those words, 'land of grief' were given to me by a friend but I have claimed them because they express my experience.
The giver of that image 'the land of grief' asked me today if that was a trap for me. "No" I said "it's a helpful image reminding me of where I live but that doesn't mean that I will not have meaningful life there. Like Wolterstorff's 'sea' 'the land' is the context where I live but it is still a place of hope and possibilities.
There will be more from Wolterstorff tomorrow.
Blessings,
Al
Lament was written after his college age son died in a mountain climbing accident. When he writes "Sorrow is no longer the islands but the sea." I understand by that, much what I mean when I say that I know life in the land of grief. Those words, 'land of grief' were given to me by a friend but I have claimed them because they express my experience.
The giver of that image 'the land of grief' asked me today if that was a trap for me. "No" I said "it's a helpful image reminding me of where I live but that doesn't mean that I will not have meaningful life there. Like Wolterstorff's 'sea' 'the land' is the context where I live but it is still a place of hope and possibilities.
There will be more from Wolterstorff tomorrow.
Blessings,
Al
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