Love Run Backwards – Reflections on Grief Part 1
First of all, an acknowledgment. I am aware that this time of year can be snowed under with tag lines insisting it be “merry and bright”, and I’m not trying to undo anyone’s commitment to fostering that. Also, it’s a time of year that can be profoundly difficult, not least of all for those who have experienced loss. Some of you were in the room when I mused aloud about the complexity of this recently, and you know that I feel like choosing to talk about grief at this time of year isn’t a simple or obvious choice. However, that’s the terrain we’ll be exploring at our gathering this Sunday. (10:45 am, VA Cafe, lower level).
I want to encourage you to be there in person, if you are able. There are a couple of particular reasons for that this week, in addition to the obvious human benefits of being in the same room together. One is that I’ll be sharing a video as part of our exploration, and the visuals feature the power of shared experiences. I think that being together for something like that can potentially amplify or stir our own imaginations about the best aspects of what the video is pointing us toward.
The second reason is that we’ll be reframing grief. Just the word itself can feel like it carries a kind of darkness with it, but “good grief” can be much more than that, something we’ll lean into pretty directly on Sunday. Once again, an experience that benefits uniquely from being shared.
For those unable to join in person (and I know there are many reasons why that may be the case), we’ll livestream here, and podcast here. I’ll post a link to the video we’ll be viewing below, because that won’t translate well to the livestream. If you are following online, feel free to chime in via the chat. I can’t promise we’ll be quick on the uptake, but we do try to keep an eye on that throughout our gathering.
Also, a reminder of some important details in the coming weeks:
- December 21st (a.m.) will be our Not Quite Christmas gathering. It’ll be (among other things) a potluck. Yum, yum meets Ho, Ho, Ho. Whoop!
- There will be no gathering on December 28th. Party with your people, recover from partying with your people, sleep in and receive rest as a gift (or as a practice of resistance)…you decide. Just don’t show up at VA unless it’s for a quiet coffee upstairs.
- Please keep us in mind as you make year-end decisions about financial donations. While healthy in many ways, we continue to struggle in this aspect of our community life. All gifts are welcome. Info about ways to make your tax-receiptable donations (including several on-line options) can be found here.
Peace,