“How in the world do you do what you do?”
This is the most frequent question I’m asked. I guess it’s hard for most to understand that I love walking alongside children, teens and adults who are grieving the death of a loved one. I am passionate that no one should have to grieve alone. I’m honored to be invited to walk with them on the most difficult journey they’ve ever undertaken.
Hopelessness almost always accompanies grief. Finding any semblance of happiness again seems impossible as the feeling of being held captive in the dark pit of despair seems inescapable. Disbelief that life can be reconstructed with any measure of joy or renewed meaning and purpose restrains us from imagining a future without our loved one. The sense of “being stuck” in our grief and feeling powerless to move forward is overwhelming.
I have the honor and privilege of being a Hope Keeper. When our clients can’t find their hope and the darkness and void of the death of a loved one overcomes them, I get to hold their hope for them until they are able to find it again. And they will. I just quietly walk alongside them on the journey bearing witness to their pain and heartbreak as they make their way through the hopelessness of grief. Somewhere along the path, they silently and most often unknowingly begin to embrace their hope again. It’s a beautiful experience.
I know I’m engulfed in death, dying and bereavement. This is what I do with deep passion and conviction. I can do it because although a griever’s pain and hopelessness are palpable, so is their hope. And I know one day they will reach for their hope once again, and I will be there to gently help to place it back in their hands and heart.
You may feel hopeless as you grieve your loved one. Please trust me when I assure you that in a not-so-distant season of your grief, you will begin to find your hope again.