March 23 - Grief and Healing

With the events of the last two years, it seems important to think about grief and how to heal from it. Many people want to ignore those events which shifted so many lives. Myself, I think that attempting to ignore things like this cause more problems but I also understand that not everyone is in a good place to work through the grief and pain in their lives.

The ache of loss, is too often an unwilling companion, walking by our side, an unwanted traveler who brings grief with them. This companion can make us feel isolated, unable to reach out for help in what may be our darkest hour. We do not see the people who also walk with us, the people who care about our well being, the people we trust. The world seems to be only darkness and disasters as this unwanted companion blinds us to the possibilities around us.

I have found it helpful to allow myself time to grieve over the losses in my life. Grief is most often associated with death, yet grief can occur at other times in our lives.  Allowing ourselves to recognize our sadness about the things we have lost, and sharing our feelings with others can help us to find healing. We walk in a place of vulnerability when we grieve and recognize the impermanence of our everyday lives in a constantly changing world. This vulnerability can help us to build closer relationships with our spouses, children, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, close friends and all of the people that help us to make life a little brighter. It should be okay to admit that life isn’t working and you need a moment to stop, grieve before moving on. Grief is a sign of how much we care and the importance of a person, or a way of life is to us. We are mourning the reminder of the insecurity of our world.

I hope everyone has someone they can share with and who they can be vulnerable with as we walk through this shifting world that seems uncertain and dangerous. In the end, the relationships we share, the people we find, they are the reminders of the importance of love, trust and caring that we all need, whether we can admit it or not.

Pictures by J.T. Harpster. Prints of his photos can be purchased at Redbubble

Support us on our Patreon Page