I was asked to write an article about losing a loved one. I feel I have the experience to write this because I lost my best friend, my mother, three years ago. She was eighty-six and her age helped me cope with her death better than I thought I would, but it didn’t stop me from grieving. I know that it is natural for ones to grieve. My father is still living; he will soon be eighty-four. Although, I love him very much, my love for him is not the same.
Some people live in denial when a loved one dies, others feel that it should have been them that died, not a young child or a baby. It’s ok to cry, to stay in bed or isolate ourselves because some things help us to heal. It is repressing our grief that is harmful and unhealthy.
My faith in the resurrection hope helps me to cope with death. I am an avid reader of God’s word, the Bible and I always share scriptures containing this hope with those I visit in hospitals, nursing homes and hospices. I am not afraid of death.
Writing poetry, letters and just talking about my dead loved ones, also helps me to cope. Sometimes, I will look at some old pictures of the deceased.
We can pray for ones who have lost loved ones in death. Our prayers can include, asking God to give them strength to cope with death. Being a good listener to ones who have lost a loved in death is truly rewarding because a person is centered on helping another person, rather than thinking about themselves, or their own problems. The Bible has many scriptures that mention the resurrection of young, old, men and women. Reading these scriptures brings strength and hope to the reader. I read my Bible daily.
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