Today, on March 16, 2021, we observe the one-year anniversary of the pandemic due to COVID19. It has been a difficult year for everyone, but we know it has been more difficult for some than others. You made it through the year. Well done! What are the losses you have sustained during this year? Have you grieved them? Maybe it would be good to take the time to do that intentionally now. Maybe you could help your children grieve some of what they’ve lost too. The time invested in grieving can pay big dividends in moving on positively to better days.
Maybe you could make a list of all that has been lost for you in the past year. Do it quickly. Include people, things, values and dreams. Then, go down the list and rate the losses ABC or 123 most important to least important for you, not what others might think; for example: 1-Dad, 3-my business, 2-hope, 4-dream of biking from San Francisco to New York. Help your children do the same. After you’ve worked on your lists, make a plan to spend a little time grieving those losses from the least impactful to the most impactful, or vice versa. Get creative. What would be most meaningful to you, your children?
Meadowlark Press has published a small, encouraging book for people 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 helps them use walking as a took for grieving, even going with them on daily walks. 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.