Preview of Module 105
As we have mentioned, there are as many reactions to grief as there are people who experience grief. In this Module we will discuss three different but unique grief experiences.
Session 1 – Death As a Personal Relief
Sometimes we will mentor individuals who, while experiencing the death of a loved one, will not experience the same depth of sorrow as most grievers do. These individuals have been “set free” from a period of time where they were caregivers, or the deceased did not have any quality of life. The person who finds “death is a personal relief” endures a completely different grief process, it is more self-reflective.
Mary DiBello’s husband died after almost thirty years of progressive illnesses. In her journey of grief Mary reflects back to the time when she realized her husband would endure years of illness and she decided to acquire a nursing degree to better enable her to care for her husband. She purposefully shares her journey of grief having been a caregiver for thirty years.
Session 2 – Saying Goodbye to Grief
The griever has acknowledged their grief, they have dealt with their grief issues, and they have experienced a healthy grief journey. Now the person desires to think through and plan for their “new reality.”
Paul and Shirley Bubar have ministered with a youth ministry for greater than forty years. Their son Daniel had followed their spiritual walk by deciding to become a missionary to youth in Hungary. Unexpectedly they received a phone call from Hungary that their son received severe injuries in an auto accident. They immediately made plans to be at his bedside, but a medical miracle would not be theirs and he died. The Lord has empowered them in their grief journey to encourage and comfort many families.
Session 3 – Understanding What Closure Is All About
How do grievers react to people telling them they “should have had closure by now?” What does closure really mean, and how do we define closure? Does closure really mean the end of the grief journey?