Who I am.

I write about the landscape of grief, nature, and the wisdom of fools. The author of four books, my essays, poems, and reviews have been published in over 50 journals, including in the Huffington Post and Colorado Review. I’ve won the River Teeth Nonfiction Book Award, the Chautauqua and Literal Latte’s essay prizes, and my work has been nominated for four Pushcart Prizes and named a notable by Best American Essays. My account of hiking in Yosemite to deal with my wife’s death, Mountains of Light, was published by the University of Nebraska Press. http://www.markliebenow.com.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Do Not Look Away

Whidbey Island 3

When death comes with finality, do not look away. Hammered by blows of tragedy, overwhelmed by human frailty, no matter how much you want to, do not look away.

Do not slink from the sorrow of others. Their brokenness is your own. Their devastation. Do not flinch in the face of pain. Do not blink. Do not look away.

* If you would like to read the rest of this post, let me know and I’ll send it to you. *
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5 comments:

  1. www.robinbotie.comSeptember 30, 2015 at 3:09 PM

    Beautiful. And true. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  2. SueOctober 3, 2015 at 1:57 AM

    OMG...the best yet...facing death, pain and grief...is realizing life...all the rest is but a false god..that will deceive you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mark LiebenowOctober 3, 2015 at 7:27 AM

    Thank you, Sue.

    ReplyDelete
  4. BarbRadOctober 5, 2015 at 3:21 PM

    You have hit the nail on the head. Just being there for someone is what matters.

    ReplyDelete

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