Holiday Suggestions / Holiday Prayer

The holiday season is traditionally a joyous celebration of life, but for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, it is a reminder that life is changed forever. The following suggestions may help you through this holiday season:

1) Be realistic about the holidays. They can intensify your loss.
2) Accept the reality of your grief. Cry as much as you need to.
3) Look for the good in your life; feel gratitude for those things you value such as health, family, friends or your job.
4) Nuture yourself. Eat a balanced diet, exercise and get plenty of
rest. Do something for yourself regularly.
5) Lower your expectations of what you think you "should" or "ought to"
do during the holiday season. You may not feel like shopping for gifts,
decorating, sending cards, or baking.
6) Choose to be with people who support you. Don't feel like you have
to do things in a traditional way, if that doesn't feel right.
7) Find someone to confide in who truly understands what you are going
through. A grief group can be invaluable and offer support, suggestions and even companionship.
8) Create a simple memorial ritual for special days to honor the person
who died. Do or create whatever is meaningful for you.
9) Maintain and cultivate your sense of humor. Laughing is a good way
to release tension and stress.
10) Rely on your source of spiritual support in your own personal way. Take time to nuture that which sustains your definition of Love or Truth in the highest sense.

A personal prayer:
Gracious God, I come with my heart aching and tears that will not stop. I cannot seem to get control of my life. I think of little else throughout the day. And I feel alone. In this season of busyness, I have no energy. In this season that celebrates family and friends, my circle is incomplete. In this time of reaching out to others. I draw inward. Draw me to You, so that I may find hope in Your triumph over death. Draw me to You so that I may remember to give in order to receive. Draw me to You so that I may see with Your eyes and live with Your peace. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen