I am so grateful John and I get to travel a lot. But travel is not without its challenges.
We have one rule that we stick to no matter what. We never take more than a carry-on suitcase.
I don’t remember for sure, but this could have been implemented the year that John had to borrow underwear for a week when his luggage didn’t arrive in Zambia.
This afternoon I’m packing for another trip. This trip comes on the heels of losing one of our closest friends, suddenly, to a brain aneurism. It’s got me thinking…
Traveling with someone through loss, we need to travel lightly. Just like there are certain items I need to cull out in order to pack in a carry-on, there are unhelpful things we need to leave behind when we are walking through a hard time with someone.
So, here are three things I’ve learned to take out, and leave behind when going through a crisis with someone:
- Leave behind right to be offended. This is NOT about you. Forget your ego, your pride, your wants and prioritize what the grieving person wants. No matter what. The wife of our friend who died was wise and brave to say she didn’t want people around her right away. Close friends could have been offended, but they knew this wasn’t about them.
- Leave behind control/schedule. When life feels out of control, our inclination is to try to bring order. We want to do anything we can to fix things. We think we’re helping, but we need to let go of our need for control and convenience and just report for duty.
- Leave behind assumptions. We all know that every loss is different and everyone grieves differently, but even tiny assumptions need to be tossed. There was someone I was sure my friend would want me to call last week, to take that off her plate, but I was wrong. Other people she wanted me to call, I was surprised at.
I’ve written more about this before, but I’m interested in your thoughts. What has your experience been walking with others on rough journeys?
Laura, I’ve walked closely with a dear friend who lost her husband and son in a terrible accident a few years ago. A few things I’ve learned through this tough, process of grief is : 1. Never ask them “how are you?” A much better thing to say is, How is today? I’m thinking about you today. How can I help you today? 2. Just be with them in silence, in grief, in prayer… just simply be there.. eat with them, clean with them, sort papers with them… just be there. 3. Talk about the people they’ve lost. Their grief is always there and it doesn’t make it worse to remember their loved ones with stories and memories. 4. There is no timeline on grief. Everyone processes differently. Don’t put boundaries on the process.
Absolutely. All good reminders, thanks!