My hope for grief support is to provide a space for people to mourn. To find a space to process the many faucets or waves of grief.
After my sister passed away, I felt I was thrown into a dark and suffocating place. My relationships that were already on the fritz became even more challenging. My body acted out in ways I had never before experienced which landed me in doctors offices. As a pastor and spiritual director, it was becoming harder to hold the stories of others. Images and details of finding my sister haunted me, and I was a wreck. Thankfully, my church agreed for me to take a six month Sabbatical. This was a very healing time. Not every issue was resolved in six months, but I returned rested and open to God, others, and myself in new ways.
The Center for Life and Loss Transition shares the difference between grief and mourning, “Grief is what you think and feel on the inside, and mourning is when you express that grief outside of yourself.”
I am learning that everyone who has experienced some form of loss has grief, but not all who grieve, mourn. Mourning is something that is foreign to the American culture. We barely take the necessary time to bury our dead before we are back at work, trying to cope with the loss. This is partly due to other factors such as financial burdens, comp time, and packed schedules.
I believe that even though we live in a fast-paced, demanding culture, there are many ways to express our grief and ways to mourn that is healing. Not everyone can afford to take six months away from their job, nor should they. We can’t afford not to process our grief either.
I will continue to update the resource list below as I am able. If you know of any helpful resources, please feel free to email me.
If you are seeking a safe place to process your grief feel free to connect with me here.
marieproctor.com 