Griffin Speaks

FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF

The guests have returned home. The phone calls have dwindled down to a bare minimal. In essence everything appears to have returned to normal except one thing. I am dealing with my personal grief. I am told that grief is actually part of the healing process. Since my mother’s passing everything seems to have changed. 

In her magnificent book “On Death and Dying”, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross identifies five stages of grief. They are: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance.  

Initially, in Stage 1, (Denial) we deny the loss has occurred. We tend to withdraw from people. In stage 2, (Anger) We may become angry with the person who died, or at the universe, for allowing it to occur. In stage 3, (Bargaining) The grieving person makes a deal with God, asking “If I do this, will you remove the loss? In stage 4, (Depression) The grieving person feels a numbness. In stage 5, (Acceptance) The grieving person accepts the reality of the loss. 

Personally, I believe we grieve differently depending upon the circumstances. If a 90 year old grandmother died in her sleep I believe there would be a considerable difference in the grieving process than if a three- year old were hit by a car and killed. If a person has been blessed with a long life, we expect death as being natural. There will be grief but not to the same extent. If someone dies young one can expect that a grieving person would go through all the stages of grief. 

I am not quite sure what stage of the grieving process I am in at the moment, but I can tell you this. I am going to pick myself up and brush myself off and thank the Lord for the blessings he has bestowed upon me. Until next time have a great week!