I started my Social Work career in 2000 as a Hospice social worker. I learned so much from those I journeyed with. I was young and new in the field. I trusted my gut, and I listened carefully. Perhaps it was a gift that went both ways, I gave them my attentive listening, and they taught me so much about walking the road of grief with someone.
Since 2000, I have walked my own road of grief, most poignantly in my brother’s death and then my father. We often spoke of how kind and supportive people are for a season in our grief groups. That is really how it goes, and it is ok. Everyone is walking in their own story, and it is such a gift when one stops along the way to be present with someone else. But we all know that for those closest to the loss, the sorrow is an ongoing journey.
What I have heard in so many longing hearts and experienced over the years in remembering Len and my Dad is what a gift it is when someone stops and mentions their name. It may be in something they miss, a shared remembrance, sharing a funny memory that brings laughter, or even just acknowledging they remember….
I hope you have people in your life who remember your loved ones and call them by name.
This blog was birthed this morning as I read these words. Lauren, my new niece by marriage, who married Len’s oldest son last week, posted this, and I want to ensure it is forever part of my family story in this blog.
Thank you, Lauren, for naming Len (in this case with a photo) and blessing his investment while on this earth. He would have loved being your father-in-law!
Be courageous and creative, and remember to visit the stream of sorrow that flows in the hearts of those you like and love. It is really very simple. Start by just saying their name!
Blessed be His name!
Perfect !