--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She closed her eyes, silently continuing…" description: "\"“She closed her eyes, silently continuing the pleas that she be given words that might soothe, words that would begin the healing of bereaved parents. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b25/jacqueline-winspear-9117_grief_she-closed-her-eyes-silently-continuing_831933.png" --- # She closed her eyes, silently continuing the pleas that… ![“She closed her eyes, silently continuing the pleas that she be given words that might soothe, words that would begin the healing of bereaved parents. She had seen, when she entered the kitchen, the chasm of sorrow that divided man and wife already, each deep in their own wretched suffering…” quote by Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b25/jacqueline-winspear-9117_grief_she-closed-her-eyes-silently-continuing_831933.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b25/jacqueline-winspear-9117_grief_she-closed-her-eyes-silently-continuing_831933.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b25/jacqueline-winspear-9117_grief_she-closed-her-eyes-silently-continuing_831933.png) > ““She closed her eyes, silently continuing the pleas that she be given words that might soothe, words that would begin the healing of bereaved parents. She had seen, when she entered the kitchen, the chasm of sorrow that divided man and wife already, each deep in their own wretched suffering, neither knowing what to say to the other. She knew that to begin to talk about what had happened was a key to acknowledging their loss, and that such acceptance would in turn be a means to enduring the days and months ahead.”” [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acknowledging loss through honest conversation helps grieving parents begin healing, turning silence into shared understanding. **In simple terms:** Talking about loss starts healing. Key Takeaway Encourage open dialogue after tragedy. Themes grief communication healing Mood empathetic reflective Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - counseling sessions - family gatherings - support groups - memorial services Key Concepts emotional processing shared vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - What words can you offer someone in grief? - How can you create a safe space for difficult conversations? A Different Perspective Some may find speaking about loss too painful initially, delaying conversation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acknowledging Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acknowledging-loss-566135/) [Bereaved Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bereaved-parents-566136/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Healing Bereaved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing-bereaved-566134/) [Loss Acceptance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss-acceptance-566138/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Words Soothe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-soothe-566137/) ## Related quotes > [“COLD WORDS FREEZE PEOPLE, AND HOT WORDS SCORCH THEM, AND BITTER WORDS MAKE THEM BITTER, AND WRATHFUL WORDS MAKE THEM WRATHFUL. KIND WORDS .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheri-fuller/cold-words-freeze-people-and-hot-words-scorch-them-and-bitter-words-2/) [Cheri Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheri-fuller/) > [“If you're feeling alone in your despair and grief, I want you to know you are not alone. You have an entire community of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-k-mccarty/if-you-re-feeling-alone-in-your-despair-and-grief-i-want-you-to-know/) [Pam K. McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-k-mccarty/) > [“When it comes to love and loss, acceptance is never easy. We can't make someone see all we have to give, make them love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-mae-monterrosa/when-it-comes-to-love-and-loss-acceptance-is-never-easy-we-can-t-make/) [April Mae Monterrosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-mae-monterrosa/) > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [That Woman is in love with her own grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/that-woman-is-in-love-with-her-own-grief/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Suppressed grief suffocates, it rages within the breast, and is forced to multiply its strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/suppressed-grief-suffocates-it-rages-within-the-breast-and-is-forced/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [Only to have a grief equal to all these tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/only-to-have-a-grief-equal-to-all-these-tears/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“When we learn to attribute meaning to the events in our lives, we connect with our Higher Purpose, Higher Wisdom, or Source; we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/when-we-learn-to-attribute-meaning-to-the-events-in-our-lives-we/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [... how much of our inner substance is it good for us to give to public griefs? The whole modern tendency to agonize over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/how-much-of-our-inner-substance-is-it-good-for-us-to-give-to-public/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [“...they had lived, they'd lived intensely. But no matter how deeply you live, it comes to this in the end: one of you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/they-had-lived-they-d-lived-intensely-but-no-matter-how-deeply-you/) [Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/) ## More by Jacqueline Winspear > [My first ever job after college was as a flight attendant. I wanted to travel and could not afford it, so I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/my-first-ever-job-after-college-was-as-a-flight-attendant-i-wanted-to/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [“The boy laughed, for he was a boy and not yet a man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/the-boy-laughed-for-he-was-a-boy-and-not-yet-a-man/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [“... truth has a certain buoyancy - it makes its way to the surface, in time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/truth-has-a-certain-buoyancy-it-makes-its-way-to-the-surface-in-time/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/grace-isn-t-a-little-prayer-you-chant-before-receiving-a-meal-it-s-a/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [My favorite way to unwind is to go for a walk with my husband and the dog at the end of the working day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/my-favorite-way-to-unwind-is-to-go-for-a-walk-with-my-husband-and-the/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [“Their love was thus seeded in the rich soil of mutual understanding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/their-love-was-thus-seeded-in-the-rich-soil-of-mutual-understanding/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [Truth walks toward us on the paths of our questions. As soon as you think you have the answer, you have closed the path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/truth-walks-toward-us-on-the-paths-of-our-questions-as-soon-as-you/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [“What is certain, is that war will not leave us as it found us. —WOMAN AT HOME, February 1915”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/what-is-certain-is-that-war-will-not-leave-us-as-it-found-us-woman-at/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [“What interests me is the experience of ordinary people. To tell you the truth, although I can repeat certain dates, statistics, and so on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/what-interests-me-is-the-experience-of-ordinary-people-to-tell-you/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [What does anyone really know about the impetus to go to war? And so much is uncovered in hindsight. And there are aspects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/what-does-anyone-really-know-about-the-impetus-to-go-to-war-and-so/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [if the way ahead is not clear, time is often the best editor of one's intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/if-the-way-ahead-is-not-clear-time-is-often-the-best-editor-of-one-s/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [We talk about globalization today as if it's some great big new thing, that we've all just discovered. But there's really nothing new about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/we-talk-about-globalization-today-as-if-it-s-some-great-big-new-thing/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [Never judge a journey by the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/never-judge-a-journey-by-the-distance/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [“But the thing is, in all my experience as an artist, I have found that there are people who want to destroy beauty. Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/but-the-thing-is-in-all-my-experience-as-an-artist-i-have-found-that/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [Im a storyteller; that is what I do. And Im particularly interested in history; and in history of a certain era. But what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/im-a-storyteller-that-is-what-i-do-and-im-particularly-interested-in/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) [Explore all 75 Jacqueline Winspear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) ## More Grief quotes > [“...they had lived, they'd lived intensely. But no matter how deeply you live, it comes to this in the end: one of you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/they-had-lived-they-d-lived-intensely-but-no-matter-how-deeply-you/) [Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/) > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [... how much of our inner substance is it good for us to give to public griefs? The whole modern tendency to agonize over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/how-much-of-our-inner-substance-is-it-good-for-us-to-give-to-public/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“When we learn to attribute meaning to the events in our lives, we connect with our Higher Purpose, Higher Wisdom, or Source; we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/when-we-learn-to-attribute-meaning-to-the-events-in-our-lives-we/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [Only to have a grief equal to all these tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/only-to-have-a-grief-equal-to-all-these-tears/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [Suppressed grief suffocates, it rages within the breast, and is forced to multiply its strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/suppressed-grief-suffocates-it-rages-within-the-breast-and-is-forced/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [That Woman is in love with her own grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/that-woman-is-in-love-with-her-own-grief/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“You've been my beacon of light in my storm of grief, and I don't know if I could live without you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-ashley/you-ve-been-my-beacon-of-light-in-my-storm-of-grief-and-i-don-t-know/) [Katie Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-ashley/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) [Browse all 8,012 Grief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“She closed her eyes, silently continuing the pleas that she be given words that might soothe, words that would begin the healing of bereaved parents. She had seen, when she entered the kitchen, the chasm of sorrow that divided man and wife already, each deep in their own wretched suffering, neither knowing what to say to the other. She knew that to begin to talk about what had happened was a key to acknowledging their loss, and that such acceptance would in turn be a means to enduring the days and months ahead.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacqueline Winspear" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/she-closed-her-eyes-silently-continuing-the-pleas-that-she-be-given/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Grief" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/she-closed-her-eyes-silently-continuing-the-pleas-that-she-be-given/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b25/jacqueline-winspear-9117_grief_she-closed-her-eyes-silently-continuing_831933.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b25/jacqueline-winspear-9117_grief_she-closed-her-eyes-silently-continuing_831933.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b25/jacqueline-winspear-9117_grief_she-closed-her-eyes-silently-continuing_831933.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“She closed her eyes, silently continuing the pleas that she be given words that might soothe, words that…” — Jacqueline Winspear", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jacqueline Winspear", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“She closed her eyes, silently continuing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/she-closed-her-eyes-silently-continuing-the-pleas-that-she-be-given/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/she-closed-her-eyes-silently-continuing-the-pleas-that-she-be-given/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```