Pioneering our Grief — Grateful, yet Grieving
When my kids were in elementary school, part of the curriculum was studying the Oregon Trail. One of the projects included that they dress up for Pioneer Days. I remember the books we used to see what the pioneers wore, how far they had to go, and what hardships they endured to find a new life.
As we grieve, I feel like we are pioneers as we traverse the grief journey into a different life. Doing something we’ve never done before is daunting. Grief does not come with a GPS or a book of instructions. Each of us embarks on an unknown path as we mourn our loss.
Levi Lusko, pastor and author of the book, “Through the Eyes of a Lion: Facing Impossible Pain, Finding Incredible Power,” details his journey after the sudden loss of his 5-year-old daughter 5 days before Christmas in 2012. In a recent podcast, I listened as he explained the idea of sorting out your grief. Like laundry, we can separate our grief into different containers. One container is marked “Cherish,” where we hold onto the photos, memories, and items we are keeping in honor of our loved ones. The other container is for “Mourning,” to name what’s been taken away. And the last container is marked “Look forward to,” where we place our hope and plans.
I can’t help but wonder if the pioneers who came west didn’t have to sort and decide what to keep, what to leave behind, and choose to set their hope on the future as they caravaned across the unknown.
We, too, can decide what to cherish, what to mourn, and what to look forward to in the future. As pioneers, we can trust God and hold tightly to His promises that He will not leave us but is with us each and every step of the way.
