grief: n. a deep and poignant distress caused by or as if by bereavement

facet: n. a particular part or aspect (as of something being contemplated or considered)

Though it may initially feel like it, grief is not just one singular creature, a massive beast that takes over our emotions . . . and our lives. When it enters our world, it affects us in a variety of ways, for an undetermined length of time. Loss creates complexity, and that complexity is apparent as we deal with it.

majority: More than half (50%) of some group. The difference between the winning vote and the rest of the votes.

minority: Any subgroup that does not form a numerical majority

The little ragamuffin–all of eight or nine years old–stood alone facing the opposition of the world…at least the world as she knew it. She and a classmate were involved in a disagreement during recess on the playground at the tiny country grade school she attended. An invisible line was drawn and sides formed. Fellow students joined and stood in support of the one they felt was in the right. While it wasn’t a David and Goliath moment, there was no one on her side as hostility spewed from the mouths of those who became judge and jury. In frustration, she picked up a fir cone from the ground and threw it at her adversary. Widely missing its mark, the action prompted ridicule and more heated comments. Mercy intervened when the bell rang, signaling the end of recess and time to return to the classroom.

Even the most casual of observers would have noted I was in the minority, not the majority.