Next Chapter of You
Session 9 of GriefShare took place this evening. I can’t believe we only have three more sessions. I shared with my co-facilitator that I felt more comfortable with the material, having gone through it three times. Honestly, the material and our facilitation mattered little when they sparked sharing conversations. The topic this evening dealt with grief and friends. Last session dealt with family. Similar, but a different dynamic.
As a facilitator, you never know when one of the participants will openly share, and when it happens, it’s a gift. Stepping aside to let the words flow is the best role a facilitator can play. That happened tonight among all participants. Seeing smiles and hearing laughter point to healing
There is no metric to determine whether the program is effective beyond observation of actual sharing that takes place among participants. When they share, the power of healing is present. They may not realize it at the time, but that’s the nature of healing — it takes time. The sequencing of the 13-week program is designed to accommodate the healing process. The trainer in me wonders how to measure that? What would be a valid metric? Is there a metric? Does there need to be one? Seriously, why even attempt to measure grief when it is a permanent part of life from now on? You never overcome it or defeat it, so what’s to measure? It’s part of you. Forever. Learn to let it live within you and move forward in peace.
Your grief is part of a new you. The next chapter of you. How will you write the rest of your story? Grief will be a chapter, but there will be more story beyond it. Write it.
Grief has been described as a journey. I understand that, but for me, a journey implies there’s a beginning and an end, a starting point and a destination. However, in the case of grief, there is no end. The starting point is well-defined, but there is never a point of destination; only a process of evolution as time blunts the pain of loss by smoothing the sharp edges.
There is no moving on…only moving with…that defines the next chapter of you. That matters because you’re still here, so God is obviously not done with you. Listen for what’s next in this new chapter of you. Proud of you. Hang in…
Peace! G.