A View from the Bima

Throughout my years as a Congregational Rabbi and a Hospice Spiritual Counselor, I have many times reassured those who have been close to a death that “death is a part of life.” Death is a part of life and being alive means living with death. At first glance it seems paradoxical: life is about death? In a very real sense, yes.

Just ask any of us whose loved one, spouse, child, friend, or pet has died. We all live with death every day. Immediately following the passing it may be every minute of every hour of every day. With time the intensity fades but never completely leaves us. How can it? After all, the extent to which we feel a death is often a reflection of the depth of our love for who has died. Love doesn’t die.

Of course, death is not the only form of loss that leaves us grieving and bereaved. In fact, just about any kind of loss, of almost any kind, can leave us feeling the symptoms of grief and experiencing the struggles of bereavement. For example, the loss of a job has left many of us reeling, as if a part of ourselves has died; which, in a real sense, is true, especially for those committed to their work. But if you cannot relate to the loss of a job, how about the Pandemic and everything that all of us lost as a result? All the lives, the friendships, the social gatherings, the trips and the traveling, the classroom time, the relationships…and the list goes on.

Have you suffered a loss in recent weeks, months, or years? Such as, but not limited to: a loved one, a friend, a pet, a job? If so, please consider joining us, in-person or on Zoom, on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 6:30pm, as I facilitate a supportive and safe environment to share our stories of loss and grief. We will also discuss some ways of coping with loss, grief, and the bereavement process. The only criteria to participate is that you remain respectful of others’ privacy, be prepared to listen, and if you are so moved, to share your story.

Initially I was going to call my grief and bereavement support group “Life After Loss” but then I quickly realized: we don’t live life after loss. We live life with loss. And even so, even and especially with loss, we go on living because we are alive and because we must go on living, loving, and remembering. And so we do, with the help and support of those in our community.