I so appreciate the many, many people that responded to last week’s I Am Now Reaching Out To You Fellow Grievers blog. I want to share with you some of the suggestions you have shared with me. Ideas for filling a huge space left empty by the death of someone who made us a “we.”
Grief is a lot about the empty space they left behind. It is learning how to fill the space we had when we were a “we” that has become a space of emptiness now that we are an "I."
I think the major revelation you all gave me with your suggestions is there are many kinds of “we,” not just a partner “we.” Baxter cat and I are a “we.” Actually so are the birds, squirrels and fish that I am responsible for. Family makes me a “we.” My friends make me a “we.” You see what I am saying. I am not as alone as I thought.
Here is some more of what your comments have shown me:
*Pets bring comfort and purpose during grief and try to make sense of where life has brought us.
*Churches play a very big role in helping people adjust to the new life of grieving and aloneness. Many provide bereavement support groups, group gatherings for socialization through Bible studies, book clubs, and art classes to name a few.
*Senior community living can provide companionship, a sense of community and break the isolation felt. They can also address the challenges of single living such as cooking for one or filling the hours of the day.
*Community activities fill the time between breakfast and bedtime. You can volunteer your time and energy helping at a church, reading at a library, serving or preparing food at a shelter, or even caring for animals at an animal shelter.
*You can learn new skills or take up new projects: new projects: crafts, needlepoint, puzzles, plants, gardening, travel
*Social gathering: card games, art classes, tennis, swimming, regular lunch dates.
Again thank you for reaching out to me. Thank you for sharing your stories, your experiences of how you have traveled the road of grieving.
Something more about… Traveling The Road of Grief
Here is the original blog post that so many of you responded to: I Am Now Reaching Out To You Fellow Grievers
