Grief is the price we pay for love.

– Queen Elizabeth II on the death of her mother.

Webster defines grief as: “deep and poignant distress — suffering.”

There is no greater pain than the death of someone we love. It can feel like your soul has been ripped apart. A black hole is where the person used to be. And rarely do our loved ones say the right thing or know how to help.

Common feelings can be depression, anger, despair and confusion. It’s difficult to begin living again and sometimes we wonder if we even want to continue living without this person.

After the death of a loved one, life can seem futile and pointless. Daily struggles seem frivolous. We lose our balance…especially if the person who has died was our rock.

If we do not deal with grief, it will grow and begin to harm ourselves and others.  It will come out – somehow and some way.

There are ways to work through this and counseling can help with the grieving process. I work with my clients to respect the pain that is caused and experience it in a safe way that is not overwhelming. Then we work to honor the memory of their loved one by learning to embrace life again.