We have entered the time of year in which reminders of change, grief, and loss are all around us. The brilliant orange, yellow, red and brown leaves in nature give us moments of awe and an awareness of the passage of time as they float off the trees. In our spiritual and cultural lives, our communities celebrate rituals of remembering lost loved ones.
All of us carry our own stories of grief and loss with us. The changes we experience naturally surface feelings of loss that are often difficult to manage. Those difficulties are often what motivates us to seek help and healing.
At Amanecer, we see people struggling with all aspects of grief. We see laborers who experience physical injuries that impact the type of work they are able to do. We see parents struggling to understand why their experience of parenthood is a different type of journey than they expected it to be. We see immigrants who have had to make the decision to leave the comfort of home in search for a better life. We see survivors who reclaim power that they lost after experiencing abuse. We see family members healing and rebuilding their families after losing loved ones.
If you notice having more tender or intense emotions, feelings of loss or grief, you are most definitely not alone. Be brave enough to talk with someone about how you feel. Don’t judge yourself or anyone else for the feelings that come up. Tell your story and celebrate those you have lost. When you take care of yourself, you are a light that guides others to do the same.
Stories that help us talk about grief:
Online Resources:
- Finding Meaning: https://grief.com/
- Dougy Center: https://www.dougy.org/grief-support-resources
- Dougy Center en Espanol: https://www.dougy.org/grief-support-resources/duelo-apoyo-recursos-y-grupos
- Coping with the death of a loved one: https://www.maketheconnection.net/events/death-family-friends
- Sesame Workshop: https://sesameworkshop.org/topics/grief/
- Sesame Workshop En Espanol: https://sesameworkshop.org/resources/arte-para-celebrar-y-recordar/
Local Resources:
- Delaware Grief Awareness Consortium: http://www.degac.org/
- Supporting Kidds: https://supportingkidds.org/