Grief And Loss Reflection

Last week was very important for me because every activity allowed me to reflect on grief and loss. It was a great week in preparation for the paper on loss and suffering. The didactic on grief with Amy was very touching, especially at recognizing how the life and suffering of Chris matters so much to me. Since the first day I visited him with Anne, there was a connection that has continued during his time at the hospital. I feel very sorry for his situation and at the same time, I feel angry because he has suffered so much at a short age. I understand that he might have done something wrong, but his parents kicked him out of home when he got sick, and that is inhumane and degrading. I hope to continue to visit Chris during his time at the
hospital to accompany him in his pain.

The verbatim I wrote last week, the topic about Psalms of lament, and our discussion in IPR were essential to my reflection on grief and loss.
I understood that there are some unresolved issues from my past. In the paper on loss and suffering, I talk about different ideas that my cultural background has implanted in me. I learned from my family, religion, and neighbors how to react to pain, suffering, and loss. The way of reaction was mainly through optimism. Something like, “Oh yes, this is hard, but we have to look ahead, the future will be better.” I do not say I was wrong at using this kind of reaction or that people who taught me this were wrong. I think that this was the way I was supposed to react up to today. I consider this way of thinking helped me in my life, with positive and negative consequences. But now, I see that pain and suffering must be expressed and it is important to talk about them with direct words and feelings. This is part of life, I guess. Ups and downs, good and bad experiences, and all of them help us to grow every day. I am thankful for the support of my peers and supervisor. You allowed me to see the importance of recognizing the need to express my feelings and emotions. It is not going to be easy in every topic, but I hope I will be feeling more comfortable at processing moments of grief, pain, and
loss.

Finally, at the end of the week I got to visit a patient who lived a few hours from the town where I was born. I visited with him, his wife and daughter. It was a great surprise for me to meet them precisely here in Tampa. That was an encounter very close to home. We talked for a while and I was able to minister to them. This encounter, the chapel service about peace, and writing about loss and suffering brought calm to my heart and mind, after a moment of disorientation.