Let’s talk about grief.

Wait, you were expecting thanksgiving?

Before we can move to thankfulness, we need to give ourselves permission to grieve.

Not only is it ok to grieve, it’s encouraged and necessary for healing. Grief can look like sadness, confusion, anger, or fear. Sometimes, grief comes out in tears that we didn’t anticipate. These emotions do not represent weakness. They are part of being human.

Grief can show up in our lives in ways we don’t expect. Grief happens because of many things—some more obvious than others.

Grieving the death of a loved one is never “easy”, but during this pandemic, with our limited ability to physically comfort one another with a hug or even a smile hidden behind a mask, the challenge is immense and families have learned new ways to cope.

There is grief because Covid-19 has claimed in person school. It has ended sports seasons early and put other activities on hold.  

Covid-19 has added a new layer of grief and exhaustion to our medical system as they are at, or near, capacity and continue to balance staff members needing to go on quarantine themselves and missing work.  

Covid-19 has re-shuttered the doors to businesses in our community—some that haven’t had any Covid outbreaks, but must now abide by stricter regulations so that 2021 can be the year we put this deadly virus in our rearview mirror.

Especially heading into the holiday season, the employees of these businesses that mean so much to our community will need our financial support. Thank you for thinking of others in this season of gratitude.

Grieving the side-effects of the Coronavirus effects each of us in different ways.

The loss of routine and constant change will have an impact on everyone in different ways. I hear this grief ooze out in blame, anger, or denial.

Like most things in life, these emotions are best expressed in moderation.

Remember that the leaders making these difficult decisions have families affected and they are thinking about the best interests of our communities. They are grieving, too.

One of the biggest leadership challenges for me at Faith Lutheran is not physically seeing people to know how they’re doing. I miss, and yes, grieve, this part of the church community that is absent.

However, the church continues to reach out in new and creative ways to provide messages and resources to our members and the community around us.

While we wait for a vaccine to the coronavirus, Jesus fills us with faith, hope, and love. THAT is the vaccine to the anxiety, fear, and anger that tries to control our lives.

Our calling is to be the super-spreaders of that faith, hope, and love.

Do you have someone in your life that you can talk to about your grief? Is there someone who can help you move through the grief and not feel stuck?

Faith is navigating this landscape as best we can too. We have resources to connect you with for grief or anger.

Need someone to talk to? Pastor Steve or myself are available to talk or the Befrienders, who are trained volunteers, are prepared to listen. A spiritual director or psychologist may be able to help you as well. Don’t be afraid to reach out.

We hope that you can find a way to express that grief of the things you are missing.

Then, maybe the things you are thankful for will be more meaningful in the journey towards healing.

 

Portions of this article originally appeared in the Thanksgiving edition of the Forest Lake Times.