Write An Obituary Of Your Choosing
It’s time to process that grief, my friends.
It goes without saying that 2020 kicked our collective arses and handed them back to us, and not very graciously I might add. A quarter of the way into 2021 and, well, here we are. Waiting for our butts to be handed back to us again.
As a reader, I’ve been seeing a lot of articles on COVID-related depression and anxiety. As an editor, there was a sweep of submissions at once all having to do with suicide. All of it is a disturbing yet understandable turn of events.
The New York Times recently posted on Medium a story that got my wheels turning. It’s OK to Grieve for the Small Losses of a Lost Year. I couldn’t grasp what they could possibly mean by “small” losses with the enormity of what was 2020. I had to satisfy my curiosity, so I clicked. The story explains how many feel as though they have no right to complain since none of the “2.6 million people around the world” directly affected them.
That doesn’t mean that they or you haven’t suffered a loss that needs to be remembered, felt, grieved, and then buried.
Bury The Dead
The Bible states we are to let the ‘dead bury the dead’. We’re still alive and in the name of all that is holy and for the sake of life everywhere, it’s time to bury the dead.
-Missed events-the weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and graduation ceremonies not held
-Loss of income-job loss of one or both household partners, loss of businesses, rental properties, etc.
-Not being able to do the things that mean a lot to us, like traveling or spending time with loved ones
-Loss of freedom-no movies, no bars, no clubs, no restaurants, no malls
-Loss of loved ones-people and pets
-Loss of peace and security-it was always in short supply, but between COVID, the US Presidential elections, the tanking economy, and civil unrest? It was enough to make you not want to leave the house, even to place the trash at the curb on pick-up day.
Here’s How We Bury Our Dead: So That We May Live Again
In my research, I happened upon a few things that I thought would be helpful not just to participate in this writing but also to allow us to process our grief.
Take as much time as you need. There is no deadline, no pressure, no “have to” attached to this.
From the Ever Loved website, I was able to locate not only how to write an obituary but also free templates to write your own. You can even create your own free memorial through their website. I think some will be fine with their processing taking part in the challenge. Some may need to go deeper. Some may even need to write more than one obituary and grieve more than one loss. God knows it’s been a rough time for a lot of folks.
This last link is actual downloadable PDF files.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace.
