Hello beautiful friend.
Welcome to your Sunday audio LoveGram.
Today’s LoveGram comes to you from Oakland, California where I’m in the midst of a three-day slumber party with a couple of girlfriends, Alison Luterman and Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer.
Both of them are writers and extraordinarily intentional about their lives and their relationships. I knew I wanted to have them as special guests on my LoveGram — but didn’t know exactly what the topic would be.
However, as it turns out, when we first got together, our conversation turned to grief. This seemed like a good conversation to share with you.
I realize this is not a light nor breezy topic. But I feel it is an important and necessary one.
Thus, in today’s LoveGram, we are talking about this challenging, yet powerful, topic: how to be with one another in times of loss and grief.
***
If we want to have deep, meaningful, and connected relationships in our lives, we have to learn how to be together in the hardest of times.
We have to learn how to ask for support, allow support, and give support.
But most of us weren’t taught how to do this!
***
I’ve been hosting weekly groups called Grief + Growth, in which we talk about aspects of grief. In the most recent one, last Thursday afternoon, one of the participants asked if anyone else had close friends and family who had abandoned them in times of grief.
Almost everyone in the group raised their hand in an acknowledgement.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. How can we open ourselves up to learning about ways to show up for each other even when it is hard and we may feel inadequate?
(To listen to the audio, just click over to this page, scroll down, and hit “play” on the audio player.)
***
Here are some of the topics we cover in today’s audio LoveGram:
* Some of the reasons why we may not show up for people we love when they are grieving — or why they aren’t there for us.
* What to say or do. And, how to be with someone grieving or challenged by loss.
* What to do or how to get support for ourselves when we need it.
Grief is a part of life. We are all going to experience it. Talking about it together can help us learn how to ask for the support we need and to give support to people we love.
***
Thank you for being here and showing up for all of it — for the ups and downs and everything in between.
When we are open to celebrating ALL of life, it allows us the spaciousness to find connection and meaning even in the hardest of times.
Listen to your audio LoveGram now.
Thank you for your beautiful heart.
Thank you for wanting to love and be loved as best you can.
I’m grateful to be on this journey with you.
Seek celebration — even in dark corners,
xo Sherry
P.S. Ali and Rosemerry are both phenomenal women and beautiful creatives. You can learn more about Alison’s work here. And Rosemerry’s work here.
P.P.S. Just a reminder that any loss in your life can be filled with grief — death, illness, divorce, miscarriage, empty nest, alienation from a friend, etc. If you feel something as grief, I hope you honor it and seek support.
P.P.P.S. See our sweaters in the photo up above? Did you notice that they all have the words “faerie lights” embroidered on them? Rosemerry did that! These sweaters were an oh-so-special surprise gift with beautiful, personal meaning to us! The last time we three were together, we made up a “band name” for ourselves, The Faerie Lights. Rosemerry took that fun detail/memory and made a “Say it Now” kinda gift. Note: That thoughtful gift inspired us to make up silly songs all weekend long, pretending they were for our first album. It’s been so much fun! Think about how you can do something like this as a creative gift for someone in your life!