The Secret of Life

Posted on September 10, 2011 by sharonclark

My cell phone’s ringtone is a song by James Taylor, “Secret O’ Life” and when it rang this morning it reminded me of the meaning of its lyrics. They tell us that the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time…sounds simple doesn’t it?

For me, enjoying the passage of time means that we can learn to embrace life as we move through time. When we are grieving, we tend to hold onto memories, emotions, and feelings from when our loved one was with us, for we feel that is all we have left of them.

But, we really have more than that; we simply need to look in our heart to feel the love that lives outside time. So, when we get bogged down in grief and hold onto what was, perhaps we can move to a place where we can touch the love that we feel right now and release some of our sadness.

The song’s lyrics also invite us to view life as a “lovely ride”, and as such we should enjoy the ride and anticipate what’s around the next bend, and occasionally remember with fondness and love what’s also behind us. Most importantly though is to be present with where you are, and what you are feeling at THIS moment in time. For NOW is all we have in the dimension of time.

We really are simply passengers on our “lifeboat” as we move through the waters of time, touching lives, feeling joy and sadness, sharing love and then allowing time’s passage to carry us in its arms to our next destination–while enjoying the passage of time.

Sharon Clark

www.griefinterlude.com

Pressing “PAUSE”

Posted on July 24, 2011 by sharonclark

As I was shopping yesterday, the store was filled by the loud cries of an unhappy toddler; I couldn’t see why she was so distressed, but her sobs were filled with passion and unyielding. She was inconsolable it seemed. Her cries were so constant that I wondered how she was actually managing to breathe through her sobs. After several minutes, her crying stopped, and as her mother pushed her to the aisle to check-out, I could see that she was clutching a new toy; the diversion needed to break her emotional pattern.

As I watched this unfold, it triggered the thought that many times this is exactly how we feel when we experience grief…inconsolable…caught up in the sheer wave of emotions, feeling our loss and locked into an emotional pattern that we ourselves can’t easily break. Like the little child, we need a “diversion” to interrupt our outpouring.

When our world has been turned upside down and our emotional grounding moved off center, many times we don’t even know how to respond because we are “inexperienced” about the emotion of grief. Our other emotions, e.g., love, joy, anger, are usually pretty well-developed through simply living our daily lives. We exercise these emotional muscles on a regular basis through our relationship with others. We’ve learned how to cope.

But this isn’t so true of the emotion of grief. Of course we have all felt some components of grief—sadness, loss, hurt—since we were babies, and have developed some coping mechanisms as a result. But until you’ve experienced the loss of a loved one, you probably haven’t felt the full emotional spectrum that is grief. Nor do we have an innate coping tool as to know how to deal with the complex array of emotions we may feel.

Sometimes when we’re caught up in this wave of emotions, seemingly inconsolable and not knowing how to cope, we can press the “PAUSE” button.

Using the guided meditations in The Grief Interlude Series can help you do that. It offers a way to step out of your grieving and step into a place of rest…just for a while. It allows you the opportunity to “break the circuit”, to catch your breath, and to gain some time to restore. To help you regain your footing, to find your center and to focus on the emotion that will help you make your way through the grief: love.

Sharon Clark

www.griefinterlude.com

Finding Our Place

Posted on July 30, 2010 by sharonclark

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When we lose a loved one, we may also feel that we lose a part of ourself, our identity, our place in life. Many times our world is literally turned upside down, and we feel lost. What now? How do we find where we now “fit”?

It’s like being part of a jigsaw puzzle that has been overturned, leaving the pieces scattered. The place where our piece fit in so snugly before is now missing…the picture has been broken apart…the old “normal” is gone.

Finding that missing slot where we now fit may involve trial & error on our part. Our circle of friends may have changed; and almost always, our family dynamics have shifted. As someone so aptly said, “the only thing constant in life is change.”

So, this “new normal” that we must identify can be challenging. Many times it feels alien—we had a life—one we were comfortable in—one in which we had made our “place”—acted out our roles–knew what to expect—and most importantly, how to feel. But in this new normal, we may find that we don’t know anything—what to do, who we’re becoming nor how we feel.

Re-establishing our “place” is a process…one that may be different for each of us. Reaching out to friends and family, seeking counseling, asking for spiritual guidance, sharing our story are some ways to find support. But almost always it involves taking time to be quiet and looking within to find our answers to define our new normal, and our new life.

We have changed as we’ve traveled our grief journey; we have been transformed without our loved one in our life. But we can also draw comfort from the love we’ve shared and know that what we’ve learned on our journey shapes us each day as we make choices for our new reality. And, we can take comfort in knowing that a new puzzle waits for us to slip into our slot, and once again fit into a new puzzle picture…a new life…a new place.

Sharon Clark

7/30/10

www.griefinterlude.com

Radio Interview

Posted on July 4, 2010 by sharonclark

We were recently interviewed on the internet radio show “Wisdom of the Labyrinth” & had the opportunity to share some of our story and information about The Grief Interlude Series set of CD’s. The link to take you to the radio show is: http://www.voiceamerica.com/voiceamerica/vepisode.aspx?aid=47078

(Please cut & paste it in your browser if it isn’t active when you click on it.)

I hope you’ll take some time to listen and share with others who might benefit from learning more about ways to help support their grief and the power of the labyrinth.

Thanks & blessings,

Sharon

The Power of Words…

Posted on June 28, 2010 by sharonclark

Earlier today I was thinking about words and how they have the power to transport us through our daily lives. Sometimes when we are grieving, we put up a protective barrier to help shield us from feelings because they are too painful, and we block some of the comforting “words” that may come our way.

While trying to avoid pain is understandable, I have found that words can be transformative; and if we allow them in, they can offer a framework for us to really “feel” our emotions. And through these experiences, we can begin to heal.

Words can open a door to a comforting setting; provide a peaceful interlude from our grieving. They can allow us to paint pictures in our mind and create a safe place to be with our grief; and within this safe place, we find a knowing that we will ultimately be OK.

Words also hold the power to change our physiological responses—and, in the process we can transform sorrow into fond memories where we can focus on our shared love, and not just on our loss.

Words hold the key that can unlock a new reality, and create a space where healing can enter and thrive. May you receive and welcome comforting words today.

Sharon Clark

Experience the Grief Interlude Series Meditations

www.griefinterlude.com

An Epidemic of Loss

Posted on April 1, 2010 by sharonclark

Is there an epidemic of “loss” in our society today—is it the “forgotten” illness afflicting millions? How many suffering from grief & loss actually receive any tools for treatment or find support to help?

Good questions…there seems to be so little discussed or written about loss in proportion to the suffering…few resources dedicated to it….why is that? Is it because death or loss is uncomfortable not only for those who are experiencing it, but also uncomfortable to those who aren’t? Is it because we just assume that someone who is feeling grief or loss will simply “get over it”…that it will just take care of itself….after all, “time heals all wounds” or so we’re left to be comforted with. Well, grief is not like the common cold wherein we just tough it out a few days and it disappears; grief is chronic, and time does not magically erase the pain.

Just as with any other human emotion, grief ripples out into our lives, into our society in concentric circles…the pain of loss, confusion of what to do, the anger with no outlet, the helplessness of our inability to have affected the outcome. All these negative emotions related to grief spill over into the daily lives of those grieving and touch their family, their friends, their coworkers, and their community.

Yet grief is probably one of the most misunderstood and least discussed topics in our society—we are a grief-illiterate nation. Not only does grief leave its indelible mark on those who are feeling their loss, but it also touches everyone around them. Which leads to the question: WHY as a society aren’t we doing more to offer resources and support to those grieving? As noted earlier, grief is “uncomfortable”, and we don’t want to think about it; but, we’re ALL going to experience it since we ALL lose loved ones….all of us will die, and all of us will grieve. It’s the common denominator of living…and loving.

So, instead of ignoring the inevitability of it, let’s ENCOURAGE meaningful dialogue; let’s PROVIDE resources; let’s OFFER tools to help people cope with their grief. And, yes, grieving is painful, but let’s not ignore it. Let’s find ways to get through our grief together in order to become “loss survivors”!

Sharon Clark

Promote Awareness…Advocacy…Aid.

www.griefinterlude.com

YouTube video links

Posted on January 25, 2010 by sharonclark

Use these links to view YouTube videos from Grief Interlude:

Sympathy Gift Suggestion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHaGTXjHHtg

Guided meditations that can be used as a sympathy gift or grief support for those who are grieving.

Sympathy Gift Etiquette: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_2VhHfgvBM

Suggestions for how and when to send sympathy gifts that are meaningful to the family following the loss of a loved one.

Guided Meditation & Grief Support: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qMzMhqIC4g

Educates about guided meditation & how its imagery can assist those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

Sharon Clark

www.griefinterlude.com

Grief Interlude

Guided Meditations to Healing

Tag Archives: guided meditation

The Secret of Life

Pressing “PAUSE”

Finding Our Place

Radio Interview

The Power of Words…

An Epidemic of Loss

YouTube video links