Photography by Jackie Glenn
Grief and Loss
“Each person’s grief is as unique as their fingerprint. But what everyone has in common is that no matter how they grieve, they share a need for their grief to be witnessed” (Kessler, 2019, p. 29).
Grief and making meaning...
Photography by Jackie Glenn
"We need a sense of community when we are in mourning because we were not meant to be islands of grief. When we see sorrow in the eyes of another, we know our grief has meaning."
(Kessler, 2019, p. 47)
Grief shows up in many kinds of losses.
Grief and loss come from many different painful experiences. Turmoil, pain, heartache, loss and other feelings that are difficult to identify and put into words often come in waves and show up in many forms of unrelenting pain. This is grief.
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Grief shows up after a death.
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Grief also shows up before and during a death.
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Grief shows up when a family member is hospitalized and receives a diagnosis.
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Grief shows up when a family member is battling a mental illness.
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Grief shows up in chronic illness. ​
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Grief shows up when a baby is born prematurely and requires hospitalization and medical support.
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Grief shows up in a trauma.
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Grief shows up when siblings are not getting their needs met because another family member is ill.
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Grief shows up in relationships with people are unable to understand or grasp the magnitude of grief.
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Grief is not contained to one category and shows up in so many more scenarios than are mentioned.
a Shelter for Sadness
Activity
Sticks make up the outside of the shelter, then different colored and textured pieces represent different ways sadness feels. Those objects can be smooth, sharp, rough, soft, heavy, light, dark etc. Choosing pieces and molding them into Model Magic or clay allows identification of the difference forms sadness takes. Placing the sadness inside the shelter gives it acceptance and safety.