I highly recommend accessing the resources available through the Pathways Center for Grief and Loss in Mt. Joy. Ten years ago I was saved when I had the opportunity to participate in the 5 week group, Growing Through Grief. People in the midst of Grief tend to resist the professional help of Grief Counselors. All I can say is don't. It is close by and free of charge.
It's just over a year since my dad passed, and I feel some of this too. It's been punctuated by the completion Monday night of a 13-week GriefShare journey I shared with my mom at a local church. My dad's ashes are in my home, but not on display. It has been too difficult for my mom, although lately she's been talking about making a change by "bringing him home" and placing his ashes in a memorial box.
I've lost people before, but something about my dad's departure has had my immediate family all thinking more about our own mortality, and wrestling with the dichotomy of the earthly, mortal life vs. the eternal spiritual life. It's made the message of the resurrection more poignant, even as the surrounding festivities have lost a bit of luster for us in this season. My sister and I are the end of the line, as it appears there are no children in either of our futures, so that has only compounded the finality of things. I wouldn't say I feel exactly *sad*, though. Contemplative, perhaps.
In a conversation this week, it came out that a coworker's parents are my age. This coworker became a first-time parent themselves this month. I'm old enough to be a grandparent. Being childless, that hit me weird. Some days I don't even feel old enough to be a parent. Some days when I stand up from sitting, it sounds like every part of my body has something to say about it, and I'm just looking around like "What's y'all's problem"? I appreciate being alive and look forward to more living. Ageing? I don't recall asking for that. 😅 Sometimes, similar to your 40-years-ago classmate, I'm kinda like "What gives? I'm pretty sure I was 25 when I went to bed last night." Old age feels so distant, but also right around the corner, and I'm tempted to despair when I consider I have no offspring to walk with me through it. All just a part of the nebulous thought cloud surrounding my transition from dust to dust. I'm oversharing, I suppose, but all in the name of saying that this is so relatable. Thank you for sharing. 💙
Thank you for this, Shawn. Holding the grief and hope simultaneously has been particularly hard lately so your words were a blessing.
Thanks, Lauren. Hang in there.
Oh, the ache, the ache of grief that hope brings back to mind! This world will always leave us wanting more. Thank you
Thanks for reading and for your comment, Sophia.
Thank you for your beautiful words. They do something in me that needed doing. ❤️
Thanks, Susie.
https://www.hospiceandcommunitycare.org/grief-and-loss/adult/
I highly recommend accessing the resources available through the Pathways Center for Grief and Loss in Mt. Joy. Ten years ago I was saved when I had the opportunity to participate in the 5 week group, Growing Through Grief. People in the midst of Grief tend to resist the professional help of Grief Counselors. All I can say is don't. It is close by and free of charge.
It's just over a year since my dad passed, and I feel some of this too. It's been punctuated by the completion Monday night of a 13-week GriefShare journey I shared with my mom at a local church. My dad's ashes are in my home, but not on display. It has been too difficult for my mom, although lately she's been talking about making a change by "bringing him home" and placing his ashes in a memorial box.
I've lost people before, but something about my dad's departure has had my immediate family all thinking more about our own mortality, and wrestling with the dichotomy of the earthly, mortal life vs. the eternal spiritual life. It's made the message of the resurrection more poignant, even as the surrounding festivities have lost a bit of luster for us in this season. My sister and I are the end of the line, as it appears there are no children in either of our futures, so that has only compounded the finality of things. I wouldn't say I feel exactly *sad*, though. Contemplative, perhaps.
In a conversation this week, it came out that a coworker's parents are my age. This coworker became a first-time parent themselves this month. I'm old enough to be a grandparent. Being childless, that hit me weird. Some days I don't even feel old enough to be a parent. Some days when I stand up from sitting, it sounds like every part of my body has something to say about it, and I'm just looking around like "What's y'all's problem"? I appreciate being alive and look forward to more living. Ageing? I don't recall asking for that. 😅 Sometimes, similar to your 40-years-ago classmate, I'm kinda like "What gives? I'm pretty sure I was 25 when I went to bed last night." Old age feels so distant, but also right around the corner, and I'm tempted to despair when I consider I have no offspring to walk with me through it. All just a part of the nebulous thought cloud surrounding my transition from dust to dust. I'm oversharing, I suppose, but all in the name of saying that this is so relatable. Thank you for sharing. 💙