It's going to take some time before I'm myself again. People often don't know what to do with you when you're sad, choosing to fill that awkward space with something helpful when sometimes it's best just to let that person grieve. Besides, I have my sackcloth on so tightly that I'm not sure if even the most well-intentioned person can convince me to loosen its grip. I'm aware, however, that at some point, the sackcloth has to come off. I also know that my sadness, as difficult as it is, does not give me a free pass from fully engaging the world around me with its own various disappointments. I believe in Him who comforts us in our affliction so that we may comfort others in theirs. This is despite everything within me that wants to throw my own pity party and be left alone in my misery. I must rejoin the community of redeemed to positively declare our brokenness and yearn for a Savior who will one day make a permanent fix of all this mess.