There is so much to grieve these days. The list seems nearly endless. Yet grieving remains hard work, and it is easy to ignore or leave aside. This week I’m offering to you a way to give yourself permission. A pathway to practice spiritual attention to the grief in your life.
When we fail or forget or just avoid our grief, we set up ourselves and the people we love for troubles. Because unprocessed grief will usually find its way out in another form. Those other forms can make a holy mess.
We need to take time to name, acknowledge, and honor our griefs. One concrete way to do that is to utilize the objects in our lives which help us with our grief. In this week’s episode and in the handout below I share a simple spiritual practices for acknowledging and honoring one’s grief.
I’m also share a story about a ring that I wear often. It is a ring that once belonged to my Grammy Thomas. That object is like a portal into the stories of grief. When I share those layers of story with someone, I open myself to many emotions that need release.
Although we certainly have grief over loved ones who died, we also feel the losses over many other parts of life both small and large. Another simple task to assist with grief is to make a list. Acknowledge the losses, both clear ones and the more ambiguous or incomplete losses. By externalizing the list, we stop holding it all inside and allow some of the emotion and the stories to flow. That’s how healing and integration may begin.
What are you grieving today? pic.twitter.com/hibVf9nB7D
— Three Minute Ministry Mentor (@3MinuteMin) February 7, 2022
Last episode we talked about giving ourselves permission to laugh. This time we are focusing on the work of grieving, which might include laughter as well as tears.
How will you give yourself permission to grieve this week?
A Spiritual Exercise in Grieving
I created a resource to help you think about grief. It will guide you in some simple ways that you can work with your losses. Please log in to get your free download, “Permission to Grieve.”
PERMISSION TO GRIEVE – Spiritual Practice
