Stepping Stones Through Grief.

 Pastor's sermon on sipping saints made me think about how to survive the holidays after the death of a loved one. To those in the grief journey, the holidays can be a minefield of emotional danger. Facing the reality of a major holiday without the one you cannot live without can send us into emotional turmoil that is hard to process. And if you think that your grieving is over, the holidays can be a trigger to bring all of those emotions roaring back.

What is grief? Grief is our natural response to death and loss. It is natural to be sad when someone dies. It is also natural to be angry when someone dies. Someone has said that grieving the death of a loved one is suffering, but without dying.

Here are some guidelines to explain what grief is. these are the Seven Stepping Stones Through Grief.

1. Shock. Also known as PTSD. Especially if you were the one to discover that your loved one had died.

2. Numbness. Your body's response to overwhelming shock and emotional overload.

3. Disbelief. This isn't happening. They will be back soon. 

4. Reality. You resign to the facts that they are dead and gone forever. You do not like it. But it is so.

5. Alienation. You went from a couple to a widow. Friends forsake you. People ignore you.

6. Reinvention. What now? What next? First glimmer of hope.

7. New Normal. Life after grief. Living with loss. Moving on in life.

There is no check list to grieving. There is no time limit. We all grieve and we all suffer and we all survive. Grieving is simply proof that you truly loved. The best thing you can do is to embrace your grief and let grief work it's way through you. Suppressing grief only drags it out.

God is not surprised by, nor is He shocked by, the words and emotions of grieving people.