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avigating rief
imes of & oss by Judy Reist
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hese past two years have been a time of disbelief, despair, and courage. As COVID-19 prevails and the political vitriol heightens, our country finds itself dealing with losses of great magnitude. As our culture does not address grief and loss well, many of us feel ill-equipped for the struggle ahead. Families have lost loved ones and many churches have experience diminished attendance and finances. It is easy to feel discouragement and despair. Our family was not immune as we sheltered in place following the sudden death of our one-year-old granddaughter. We felt isolated from family members who needed support and we were also unable to access that for ourselves. Over the next year we would also lose several dear friends, my mother with whom I could not visit in the nursing home, and our sweet golden retriever, Sage. I felt depleted of coping skills and unable to respond to the needs of others. A very wise woman who knew loss intimately advised that finding our way out of deep grief is a choice. I turned to my journal where I process my thoughts and, as I read past entries, I began to sense the goodness of God and His mercy and I renewed my trust in Him. Throughout our country anxiety and depression rates have increased as well as suicides and substance abuse. Many report feelings of isolation and a longing for the days when life was “normal.” How do we respond to this “new normal”? What does resilience look like in the midst of despair? How do we cope? All change brings some type of loss. We do not like change and often try to avoid the inevitable. Change often produces anxiety which goes hand in hand with depression. The Global Advocate 5
