Podcast

I realize "The Power of Grief Groceries" title requires a bit of detailed clarification, but that will have to come a bit deeper inside the episode. As a listener you need to understand the premise of this episode is to share what I feel is the best way to help someone suffering a great personal loss. Whether you have personal experience with the passing of a close friend or family member, or you have been touched by death through an “outer-circle” connection, I will assume you understand loss, and all that goes with that knowledge. However, if you’ve not experienced loss yet, it is difficult to know how to help your friend immediately after loss. Even those of us who have been exposed to loss could probably use a reminder or, better yet, a fresh take on better ways to help someone in their initial days and weeks after a loss. I believe this is something we all can get better at, and to that end, I’d like to share several ways to do so in this episode.

No matter how many years you are from your initial loss, your grief will be part of your everyday life. Each day that passes will allow you to find different ways to take another step forward, providing you strength when you need it and confidence when you feel you have none. If you are the support system for a friend walking with grief, you may need to better understand what grief looks like years after loss to more efficiently help your friend navigate grief. Join me as I discuss my grief experience three years after loss and provide insights as to what can be expected and how best we can all help someone through their grief years after loss.  

The true definition of the words we use sometimes escapes us when we use them, or we just don't consider their meaning in detail. We often find the words we choose not to be the perfect fit for the moment, but we use them anyway with little thought as to the appropriateness of our choice of words. In this episode, I will look closer at the words “change” and “reveal” as they are associated with the word grief. The base question regarding these words is deceptively simple; “Does grief change you or does grief reveal you?” Better yet, have you ever considered that grief can actually reveal you, or something in you, that you otherwise hadn’t been aware existed? Let's discuss how or why grief might change you and reveal you as you walk your own path with loss.

All around you, it may seem as though everyone else is doing just fine. Meanwhile, you are a complete mess dealing with your grief, trying to take just one more step each day with no sign that your sorrow will ever subside. Friends may wish for strength in this time of need while others may secretly wonder when you will "get over it." Outside your window the world seems to be going on as usual, no one seems to feel the way you do, and you have no idea how to stop feeling like a complete mess. In this episode, I examine this side-effect of grief from a different perspective, providing you with tools… select words, in fact, that may help you find a new perspective for yourself. 

This episode will speak to you whether you have lost someone close or distant or only know someone who has. Perhaps you have been fortunate enough not to experience loss in your life. The message of this show is pertinent no matter what your experience with grief may be, and it will fit whatever season of life you currently find yourself within. For my friends who are on their path with grief, I ask that you listen intently with your heart and open your mind to the truths you may already know. I realize how the dark clouds can sometimes dim your perspective on your life at this moment, but you need to know and understand the sun is indeed there… it’s tucked behind a few clouds right now.

There are so many pieces of this grief puzzle, aren't there? Whether you have been directly affected by a loss or have yet to be, even just knowing someone and seeing them work through their grief, you get an idea of the many puzzle pieces in their life. Recently I've been feeling as though I might be watching the world walk by in this new life I find myself defining. It should not be a surprise that I question, "Am I living enough yet?" How about you? Can you relate to this thought?

Over the past two years of producing this podcast and living through grief for three years, I've discovered one thing is always true. It’s difficult for some people to understand grief. Specifically, it’s hard for some to understand what people are actually “going through” daily with their grief. In addition, many don’t quite get why grief can never be considered to have an end. To help shed a brighter light on these common and difficult-to-understand truths about grief, I’d like to approach it differently with a poignant question that will hopefully lead to a better understanding. How often do you have the chance with your person, spouse, a close family member, or a friend right now to entertain the phrase, “Remember when…”? To understand grief better, I would now like you to imagine not being able to have that conversation.

In this episode, I’ve chosen to share with you a list I believe is quite important in helping us understand grief on a deeper level. Often I see or hear stories of someone who has experienced a friend or family member in their life not quite understanding how grief affects them even years after their loss. Perpetuating the misunderstanding of grief, its depth, and why there is no end to grief. This discussion will shed light on grief and allow you to understand better the “forever of grief” and why that is a fact.

Today’s episode takes on a voice and an experience unlike any episode before. I’ve decided to take you along on a very personal experience and relay to you my thoughts as I searched for memories I discovered I longed for. I hope to enlighten you on how we might best approach grieving positively and with uplifting results. To ultimately help us truly navigate our loss and set us on a path forward.