Understanding Grief

Grief is an integral part of life. Loss is around us every day. Everyone we know has already lost or will someday lose a person they love.

Our minds struggle to replace a healthy, vibrant love with a feeling of emptiness. How a person deals with grief is significantly affected by how objectively they appreciate loss as an unwelcome contributor to an otherwise happy life.

Grief often demands the expression of powerful emotions. We need an opportunity to tell and re-tell stories, discuss events and share our memories which are all but reflections of our deep love for the person who passed. Grief does not follow a timeline, schedule or agenda. Grief is ongoing and so too are the memories and stories we share.

Although painful, the act of sharing loss with others can have therapeutic benefits. Memories are shared, good and bad times remembered and the very essence of the missed person and their impact on those that loved them are brought top-of-mind again…and then allowed to settle into the fond recesses of our mind.

By talking to others, the feeling of maybe it isn’t so, is gently released. Choosing a fitting memorial is a valid way of responding to grief as it acknowledges that our loved one lived and created their own connections and stories.