Grief: It’s Not Always “Textbook”
My friend, Ron Williams, recently posted the image below on Facebook. Ron and his twin brother, Don, have helped a lot of people who deal with grief. They have conducted seminars, written books and other materials, and have helped people in personal ways.
Like most of us, grief is no stranger to them. They have lost people very, very close to them.
I think that is why the image below made such an impact on me. While I’m not sure whether the image is original with either Ron or Don, it was posted by somebody I admire and who has both professional and very personal experience with grief.
I’m not sure what message the image will have for you, but I immediately thought of three. Here are the ones I thought of. Maybe you will come up with more.
First, there is no “one size fits all” way to grieve. It is not “textbook.”
Second, I am not weird if I grieve differently from somebody else. I may not understand why you grieve the way you do and you may not understand why I grieve the way I do, but that makes neither one of us weird.
Finally, there was one lesson that almost leaped off the page to me when I saw the image. That lesson had to do with how I can best help somebody else who is grieving.
Since I do not know how somebody else’s loss if affecting them, I am really in no position to offer exactly the correct advice. I am certainly in no position to judge.
It seems to me that the best thing I can do for somebody who is grieving can be summed up in only three words – just be there.
What lessons come to your mind when you see this?
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AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
