Tear Soup, a book about healing after loss

Tear soup,

a recipe for healing after loss.

Story by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen,

illustrated by Taylor Bills.

There once was an old and somewhat wise woman whom everyone called Grandy.

She just suffered a big loss in her life.

Pops,

her husband,

suffered the same loss,

but in his own way.

This is the story of how Grandy faced her loss by setting out to make tear soup.

For many years,

the custom of making tear soup had been forgotten.

As people's lives became more rushed,

they found it much easier to pull soup in a can from the shelf and heat it on the stove.

But several years ago,

Grandy got a taste of a well-seasoned tear soup.

One of her friends made it from scratch after her child died.

As soon as Grandy tasted the rich flavor of that carefully made soup,

she promised herself never again to assume

that quicker

was better.

Because of her great loss,

Grandy knew this time her recipe for tear soup would call for a big pot.

With a big pot, she would have plenty of room for all the memories,

all the misgivings,

all the feelings,
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and all the tears she needed to stew in the pot

over time.

She put on her apron because she knew it would get messy.

It seems that grief is never clean.

People feel misunderstood.

Feelings get hurt and wrong assumptions are made all over the place.

To make matters worse,

grief always takes longer to cook than anyone wants it to.

And then

Grandy started to cry.

At first, she sobbed.

Sometimes, she wept quietly.

And sometimes when she was in a safe place where no one could hear her,

she even wailed.

Grandy knew she had to make much of this part of the soup alone.

She learned from past experiences

that most people don't like being around tears.

Her friends would worry if they knew just how

many tears Grandy's recipe called for this time.

So, the old and somewhat wise woman reflected on her own special

recipe as she looked down into the large overflowing pot of memories.

It was a task she would repeat many times during the next few months.

Grandy winced when she took a sip of the broth.

All she could taste was salt from her teardrops.

It tasted bitter,

but she knew this was where she had to start.

And for now it was the only thing on her menu.

There were things that Grandy never wanted to forget.

These included the good times and the bad times,

the silly and the sad times.

With her arms full of memories,

Grandy made many trips to the kitchen.

One at a time, she slowly stirred all her precious and not so precious memories

into the pot.

But eventually she ran out of things to add.

Grandy's arms ached,

and she felt stone, cold, and empty.

There were no words that could describe the pain she was feeling.

What's more,

when she looked out the window,

it surprised her to see how the rest of the world

was going on as usual while her world had stopped.

Her grandson Chester,

who just wanted his Grandy to be happy again,

hoped his chocolate drops would make her feel better.

Mrs.

Bloomklotz,

Ms. Chadwick,

and Mr.

Long,

all brave yet fearful neighbors,

dropped by to see how Grandy was doing.

They filled the air with words,

but none of their words took the smell of tear soup away.

They wanted to fix her,

but they couldn't.

All Grandy really needed from them at that moment

was a knowing look and a warm hug.

There were also days when Grandy hungered for a thoughtful ear.

Sometimes she would ask total strangers,

"Care to join me in a bowl of tear soup?"

"No thanks,"

most would reply.

I don't have time for tear soup today.

Even some of Grandy's friends hurried past her house and pretended not

to notice the aroma of tear soup coming through her open door.

Grandy found that most people can tolerate only a cup of someone else's tear soup.

The giant bowl where Grandy could repeatedly share her sadness in great detail

was left for a few willing friends.

"I'm here,

Mitch cried.

I got here as fast as I could,

and I'll be here whenever you need me.

What a tragedy?

I'm so sorry you're having to make such a big pot of soup.

Oh,

what a relief!"

Grandy knew she didn't have to be careful,

but she said around Midge.

Midge wouldn't try to talk her out of anything she was feeling,

and Grandy could even laugh and not worry that

Midge would assume Grandy was over her grief.

"Sorry, I couldn't get here sooner,"

said Midge.

"No problem,"

replied Grandy.

I've had plenty of help,

but most of these friends will be history pretty soon.

They'll be over my tragedy long before I am,

but I know you'll still be around.

"I don't know what to say,

but I'll be glad to listen,"

Midge said tenderly.

"Come on,

tell me all about it while we make some bread to go along with your soup."

These two friends who had shared 1000 laughs and just

as many tears pounded at the bread dough together.

"I feel like I'm unraveling,"

Grandy cried.

"I'm mad.

I'm confused.

I can't make any decisions.

Nobody can make me feel good.

I'm a mess.

I just didn't realize it would be this hard."

"Why don't we go for a walk while we wait for the bread to rise,"

Midge suggested.

"I know exercise is supposed to help me,

but I feel like I have concrete blocks strapped to my legs.

We'd better not go too far or you'll have to carry me home,"

moaned Grandy.

Mrs.

Cries a Lot called and reminded Grandy that she had

been making tear soup for years and would be

more than glad to come right over and show her how to make it the correct way.

"Thanks,

but no,"

said Grandy.

This pot has my name on it.

Grandy knew better than to let Mrs. Cries a Lot or any anyone else

tell her what she should do to get through this terrible loss.

Next,

her recipe called for some comfort food.

For Grandy,

this meant mashed potatoes or ice cream.

Comfort food always makes you feel better,

at least for a little while.

It gets past that big lump in your throat when other foods can't.

I think it needs some chocolate too.

After all,

it was her soup.

Grandy kept attending worship even though she was mad at God.

Sometimes she yelled at God and asked why this happened,

and sometimes she demanded to know where God was when she was feeling so all alone.

Still,

Grandy trusted God,

but she didn't understand God.

She sensed that people believed that if she really had faith,

she would be spared deep sorrow,

anger,

and loneliness.

Grandy kept reminding herself to be grateful for

all the emotions that God had given her.

On some afternoons people would ask questions like,

"Is it soup yet or how long is it going to take?

You've been at this for over a month now.

It's time to get out of the kitchen."

Grandy fumed at the caller's advice.

Grandy looked forward to getting the mail each day.

She dreaded the day when no more sympathy cards would come.

When she was alone and needed to think,

she found it helpful to keep notes on her soup making.

Thank goodness Grandy and Pops have been married a long time.

They already knew each other's tear soup would be different.

Secretly,

Grandy wished Pops would put more flavoring in his soup,

but he doesn't want to,

and he's perfectly content to dine alone and sip his own soup.

Making tear soup is hard work.

Sometimes it was all she could think about.

Even the things Grandy used to love to do,

she didn't have the energy for,

nor did she care about anymore.

Some of Grandy's friends over the years had not tended to their tear soup.

Their soup boiled over and the pot scorched.

What a mess?

It took them a long time to clean up their pots and to start over.

The smell of burnt soup still lingers in some of their homes.

Grandy knew there were times when she needed to take a break from her soup making,

even though it was hard to do,

she forced herself to get away.

Grandy heard that a neighbor was having to take her turn in the kitchen.

Some people thought that the neighbor was eating too much to your soup,

so Grandy,

being an old and somewhat wise woman,

called and invited her to a special soup gathering where it's not

bad manners to cry in your soup or have second helpings.

Soon, the thoughtful cooks sat at Grandy's table

and discussed the process of making tear soup.

There are some parts that require help from friends,

and some parts you just have to do alone.

They shared stories about soup making.

They wouldn't dare tell anyone else for fear of being judged a bad cook.

They all laughed knowingly when Grandy remarked how

on days when she was daydreaming while driving,

she was glad that the car seemed to know where she wanted to go.

These people had become Grandy's new best friends.

One day as Grandy and Chester were going for a drive,

Chester asked,

"Mum says you've been making tear soup.

What does she mean?"

Well,

"tear soup is a way for you to sort through all the different types

of feelings and memories you have when you lose someone or something special."

Remember when your baby brother died right before he was born

and your mom sat for days holding his blanket and weeping?

She was making tear soup.

You made tear soup yourself by acting out

your own disappointment when you shouted at Jason,

wishing his brother would die too.

Remember when Billy's dog died and he didn't want to play with you?

Not feeling like having fun is one of the ingredients of tear soup also.

And remember when Aunt Meg got divorced and they had to move,

there was a lot of tear soup simmering in that house.

Some days when you're making tear soup,

it's even hard to breathe.

Some days you feel like running away.

You just hope a better day comes along soon,

and then comes one of the hardest parts of making tear soup.

It's when you decide it may be okay to eat something instead of soup all the time.

The next morning as Grandy was cleaning up,

Chester asked her, "If she was done making tear soup."

Well,

"I don't think you actually have a finish."

The hard work of making this batch of soup is almost done though.

I'll put the rest in the freezer and we'll pull it

out from time to time to have a little taste.

"So, what else have you learned by making tear soup Grandy?"

I've learned that grief,

like a pot of soup,

changes the longer it simmers and the more things you put into it.

I've learned that sometimes people say unkind things,

but they really don't mean to hurt you.

And most importantly,

I've learned that there is something down deep within all of us

ready to help survive the things we think we can't survive.

Grandy,

"You know so much."

"What will I do after you die?"

Don't worry,

"I will leave you my recipe for tear soup."

The end