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Industry, Inferiority, and Grief: How the “Middle Years” Echo in Our Losses
The ages of 6–12 can look ordinary from the outside; school days, team sports, spelling tests. But beneath the routine, a child is quietly asking life-shaping questions: Am I capable? Do I belong? Do my efforts matter? Erik Erikson called this the crisis of industry vs. inferiority: children are building competence through work, play, and…
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Small Hands, Brave Hearts: How Ages 3–5 Echo Through Our Grief
Grief rarely begins with the funeral. It often awakens older echoes; the first places we learned whether it was safe to try, to feel, to reach for comfort. The years from three to five are especially formative. In that season, children experiment with courage, test boundaries, and discover whether their questions are welcomed or shamed.…
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Understanding Grief Through Early Attachments
The First Two Years: Trust, Attachment, and the Foundations of Grief Resilience Grief often reopens the earliest wounds of our lives. When we sit with someone in their sorrow, we are not only entering the space of their present loss but also the echoes of their earliest attachments. The first two years of life, as…
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Healing Grief through Childhood Insights
Early Wounds, Lasting Echoes: What Ages 2–3 Teach Us About Grief Grief has a way of drawing us back to the most vulnerable places of our story. In counseling, I’ve seen how adults facing loss often revisit unresolved shame, fear, or insecurity first planted in childhood. Chapter 5 of Human Development by Joseph Bohac and…
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When Grief Speaks Through Anger: Lessons from Correctional Ministry
Grief has many voices. Sometimes it weeps silently. Sometimes it trembles with fear. And sometimes it erupts as rage. In correctional ministry, where trauma and loss are ever-present, I witnessed this truth in a profound way. During a conversation, one of the brothers stood suddenly, clenched his fists, and threatened to kill me. My instinct…
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Navigating Grief: The Power of Confession and Humility
Confession, Conflict, and the Healing Journey of Grief Grief has a way of uncovering more than sorrow, it often exposes conflict. Families under strain may lash out, old wounds resurface, and unspoken expectations turn into painful misunderstandings. For those walking through loss, these moments can feel like a second layer of grief. Ken Sande, in…
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Navigating Grief and Conflict through Faith
Conflict, Grief, and the Will of God Grief is never just about the loss of a loved one. It often stirs conflict; conflict within families, within communities, and even within our own hearts. In moments of sorrow, disagreements can intensify, old wounds resurface, and silence can cut as deeply as words. But what if these…
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Navigating Grief: Conflict as a Path to Glorify God
Conflict, Grief, and the Call to Glorify God Conflict often feels like the last thing we want to face when grief is already heavy. Families mourning a loved one may find themselves torn apart over funeral arrangements, inheritance, or even unspoken resentments that surface in sorrow. In those moments, grief feels doubled: we mourn the…
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Cultural Sensitivity in Grief Companionship
Listening Through Cultural Lenses: A Pastoral Approach to Grief Companionship Grief is universal, but it is never experienced in the same way. Every culture, family, and individual carries its own language of sorrow. Some grieve with loud lamentation, others in silence. Some expect communal rituals, while others retreat inward. As grief companions, we are called…
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Understanding Grief: The Power of Compassionate Presence
Grief and the Mirror of the Soul: Restoring Identity Through Compassionate Companionship Grief has a way of shattering the mirror through which we see ourselves. When loss enters our lives; whether through death, betrayal, illness, or broken dreams, it often distorts our sense of identity. Questions rise to the surface: Who am I now without…
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L.I.V.E. - Love Infinite, Vigorously Exercised 