Grief and Gratitude

I’ve always found that grief and gratitude go hand in hand. It’s hard to feel grateful when your person is gone, but it’s also hard to grieve without the gratitude and love for your person. Early on in my grief after the loss of my dad, gratitude felt like a glimpse of a rainbow. You know when you’re in your living room, and light catches your eye at the perfect moment and you spot a rainbow? Before you know it, you move, and it’s gone. Or you’re outside and you catch the perfect moment between a rainstorm and a sunny day and you spot a half rainbow in the sky? These moments are fleeting, but they make such an impact on your day, lightening the mood. Gratitude feels like this. It seems to lighten the load of grief, providing healing during the grieving process.

Gratitude reminds you of all the ways your life was enriched by your loved one.

Gratitude reminds you that without love, there would be no grief.

Gratitude reminds you to appreciate the time you had together.

Gratitude reminds you that happiness still exists even after a loss.

Gratitude reminds you that you can survive your grief.

Gratitude reminds you to treat each day as a gift.

It’s important to fully grieve the loss of your loved one, but try practicing gratitude along the way, and see how it can shift your mindset. You’ll spot more rainbows the more you ask yourself, “What am I grateful for today?”