I wouldn’t have thought grief needed an awareness raising week, at all, after all, it’s part of life, right? But it’s good to know where the resources and support are as we go into a long, deep winter and because we’re now entering the festive season.
If you have lost someone recently you’re simply reminded you won’t be celebrating with that someone this year or any future years. If you’ve lost someone a long time ago, this is when you’ll miss them especially. Memories of seasons past come up in that bittersweet way that memories do. We choose to focus on celebrating with the people that are with us, but we also remember those who are not.
It’s nearly the anniversary of the passing of my son-in-law and my nephew (they both left us in the same week, Christmas week 2021) so, just as I feel I’m recovering from the shock of them passing, now I’m feeling a certain kind of way about this anniversary. In the family we have talked about how to note the occasion and some of us have chosen to be together for this – I both dread and welcome it, just as I did the funerals, beautiful as they were. I expect we’ll also have some healing, though, being together in our individual experience’s of loss.
My daughter posted this on Instagram in the early hours of this morning and I have founded it comforting (I believe it’s paraphrased from Jeremiah 31):
- I heard the Lord say, “I will turn your mourning into joy, your grief and sadness into rivers of grace this season. I am with those who are mourning, to heal your heart and show you my heavenly perspective. This life is not the end. And even so, I will bring restoration in this life for where you’ve suffered deep loss. There is joy on the way, and a deep level of healing for your heart”.
Mostly, my hope for 2023, is to experience and understand Joy. Seasons greetings to all readers.