11. Feeling Crushed

       The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, / saves those whose spirit is crushed.

      — Psalm 34:19

      Grief can feel like a great weight that bears down on us. We may feel trapped or unable to move — almost as if a paralyzing force has taken hold of us.

      Grief is crushing our spirits. We are like grapes that have been plucked from the vine and thrown into a large vat, where we are smashed and left to ferment.

      Grief is changing us. We don’t like feeling this way. We know that we will never be the same as we were before. But in this process of being crushed and fermented, we have a choice. We can come out of our grief as wine or we can come out of our grief as vinegar.