Tragically, many people have died because of this coronavirus. More will die. If one of those people is your loved one, the statistics cease to matter. Your loved one is gone and you are launched suddenly into grief after the tragic happenings of days or weeks.
The first thing people will experience after such a loss will be shock. You or your family member or friend may feel numb, as if in a dream. Emotional pain is less present, which enables a person to take care of what needs doing after the loved one’s passing, including planning a memorial. Unfortunately, a memorial or funeral may be delayed in the aftermath of the pandemic because the nation is still trying to beat the coronavirus by social distancing. However, the bereaved could create a memorial via video conferencing or streaming online in the coming days. Also, if a loved one has died at home, there may be delays in coroners taking the body away. (For more information do an online search on what to do when a loved one dies from coronavirus.) As far as grieving, the best a person can do under these circumstances is to rest and take good care while staying at home. Also, it would be good to communicate by text or phone or email with loved ones and clergy. After that, necessary paperwork concerning a loved one’s death can probably be started from home via computer. A person will most likely move on in the grief process as the coronavirus crisis abates and things normalize.
Meadowlark Press has published a small, encouraging book for the bereaved to use when they are grieving: Walking Through the Valley: Grieving Well One Step at a Time by C.S. Boddie. It’s a friend that comes alongside wherever people are in the grieving process and walks with them for a short time. The twenty-one-day devotional has words and images to comfort and inspire, plus recommendations for resources. The small book is available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.