GRIEF EDUCATION

Grief seems to be the one subject that people don't want to learn about until we have experienced it.  Once we have gone through loss and death, then one might find us reading books on grief and attending grief seminars.  That was the case for me.  

My mother and I had just experienced the most painful tragedy of our lives - her grandson and my nephew.  We found ourselves taking in grief seminars by Rick Bergh, a trained specialist in grief and death.  

Both my mother and I felt a need to surround ourselves with people who could help us navigate our grief journey.  It just happened to be that Rick had some seminars close to my Mom's home, so we signed up and went to two of them.  

I may have forgotten most of the seminar's content, but I won't forget the moment that Rick asked me to share a story of my nephew.  This wasn't just an exercise in giving us some tools to navigate loss, but he listened to our stories.  

Because I attended the seminar, Rick invited me to participate in an online grief training called Grief Start.  I found myself with more tools and more opportunity to work through my losses and grief.  

I could have just let my experience with tragedy teach me, but it would have been a very limited lesson.   I started listening to other people's grief stories on Rick's podcast, "It's all about the Story".  I was introduced to journeys so different from my own, but with good tools to help me with my grief and loss.  Hearing the stories of others also help me gain more compassion I didn't have before.      

I would encourage anyone going through a loss of any kind, to check out Rick's resources.   Grief is a journey that involves mostly  experience, but also is enriched by a little education.  

"Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love and wisdom."  Rumi