For those who are Mourning

I know that there are many who are mourning this holiday season. For some the pain in their heart is sharp and new, and for others, holidays bring a flood of overwhelming memories and a deep longing for those who are no longer with them.

My family is also grieving this holiday season for the loss of my brother-in-law who died just before Christmas. Though we all knew that he had been suffering a great deal for twenty years as he bravely fought cancer, we are all deeply feeling his loss. 

Coping with Loss During the Pandemic

Yesterday, I read an article called "Grieving This Season of Loss"* and watched this video. Though I know that our Heavenly Father and our Savior can give us the strength and comfort we need to make it through these times of fear and restrictions, what I haven't considered is that we are all grieving, even me! 

I've always thought of grieving as what we do when someone we love dies, but grieving includes far more. It is loss. It is the disappointment that my neighborhood high school seniors are feeling when all their celebratory activities have been canceled.  It is the postponed vacations and health care, and all the weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays without family around us. It is the loss of normal social contact and the loss of the freedom to come and go as we please.