Will's Top Ten - Comfort in times of grief
This month isn’t typically a topic of discussion in a Financial Services Newsletter but it is something we have all experienced - comfort during a time of grief. This time of year I recall my parents’ deaths, they both passed away in the Spring, 21 years apart. As time passes, the centered sadness around those losses is diminished and exchanged with a combination of acceptance and a need to center myself on happiness.
All the memories blend together but I clearly remember each of their funerals. I'm reminded every time I attend a funeral. What I am struck by is the irony that there is joy to be found in a funeral setting. I don’t suggest that joy is the pervading feeling, but I find it comforting that joy shows up in bursts in the midst of profound sadness.
So, I thought I would share my top 10 joys I have experienced during a funeral of someone I love:
- Laughter with family members as we cheer each other up. Some of it deliciously irreverent.
- Connection with siblings and the natural support we provide with tears, laughter, and a touch
- I hear a song that reminds me of the loved one lost
- Hearing a friend of the deceased loved one tell a story about them you had never heard before
- Sharing grief with someone you never expected would be as wounded as you
- Having someone drop off food that knocks your socks off because it tastes so good
- Hearing another family member summon their favorite thing about your loved one and you realize they captured them perfectly
- A eulogy that is heartfelt and insightful
- Finding a memento that is meaningful to you and then tuck it away somewhere you can find it to remind you of your lost loved one
- Reading an old letter from them and finding comfort and reassurance
