Day 342 - Communicating in Grief

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here Communicating in Grief Day 342 Although you have experienced grief, you may be hesitant to approach others who are bereaved. Not knowing what to say, you may tend to avoid them. There is no "right" thing to say. It is your heart of concern and love that you need to express. Be genuine. These suggestions will help you interact with grieving people: Remain calm and nonjudgmental. Use direct and specific language (naming times, places, and names) to help them reorient from the "blur" of grief events. Mention the deceased by name. Do not say that you know how they feel. Each loss is unique. Do not tell them how good they look to avoid talking about how bad they feel. Encourage them to talk about life as it existed before their loss. Show your humanity. Do not be afraid to gently touch them. Let them cry and express their emotions. Be willing to listen, especially in the evening. If they want to talk about their loss, do not change the subject to a lighter topic. Take your conversation cues from them. Silence is okay. Make several short visits. Visit during the weeks after the funeral when others get back to normal life, but the deeply grieving person cannot. Let them make plans. Minister to the whole family, but do not let them "attach" to you in an unhealthy manner. "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart" (1 Peter 1:22). Holy God, give me the words to say and help this person know I am sincere. Amen. Grieving with Hope This GriefShare-based book contains short, topical chapters addressing issues that grieving people face but are often hesitant to mention to others; it gently guides people to determine whether they're grieving in a way that leads to hope and ultimate healing. Look for Grieving with Hope by Samuel Hodges and Kathy Leonard at a local or online bookstore or at griefshare.org/hope. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. Don't want these daily emails? Unsubscribe. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755