Article: Grief | Loss that Comes with Change

The last two years have been an interesting time with a lot of emotions. Last week, I attended an online funeral for a family member. Her death was the third death in my family in the last nine months. In talking with my family, I have been reminded of how grief presents itself in many ways. Tears of sadness are what we normally expect. But anger, confusion, and numbness are also common. Sometimes,grief might even include relief. All these emotions are okay, and even necessary when grieving. We expect them when those close to us pass away.

But the death of a loved one is not the only time when we may grieve. Any time there is change, there is loss. And when there is loss, there is grief.

I experienced this just after Christmas break when we received the new hybrid schedules. The new schedules have significantly less asynchronous work time, and that was the time when, for the last two years, I had the opportunity to have deep conversations with students. I actually cried as I grieved the loss of that time.

Am I excited to have students back on campus? Yes! Am I excited to teach in a classroom? Yes! Am I excited to see students running and playing in the gym? Yes! But even with the excitement, there is loss, which means my grief is real. In this time of change (and there is so much of it these days!), allow yourself and your children time to grieve any losses. It’s okay.

We can be happy that some things are getting “back to normal” while still grieving the loss of what we’ve gotten used to, or even learned to love, these past two years. In times of grief, we can turn to God’s Word, especially the book of Psalms, where we find comfort, such as these words from David: “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). May we draw near to Him, no matter where our grief comes from or what emotions we experience, letting Him comfort us in our moment of need.

If you think your child would benefit from talking with someone about their grief, and you don’t feel you can be the one to talk with them, please reach out to me. I would love to find a time to meet with them.

Blessings,

Ms. Rachel Feather