Ways to Find Solace in the Face of Grief

Steps to Solace

I came across this list-to-self which I wrote not long after my father died in 2010. It has served me well and I hope it can be of some use to at least one other person in the whole world who is struggling to cope with the death of a loved one.

I would be delighted with additions to the list, if you feel you can contribute. 

Finding Solace in the Face of Grief

1. Read Wordsworth’s Poem, The Daffodils.
2. Look at Monet’s paintings
3. Listen to music
4. Go for a walk
5. Think of your happiest childhood memory
6. Close your eyes and imagine you feel a purple butterfly land on your shoulder
7. Eat a passion fruit
8. Go for a swim in the ocean
9. Listen to the birds at dawn
10. Watch a river gliding under a bridge
11. Make a list of your favourite movies
12. Write a list  of the 10 people whom you admire most and why
13. Sow some seeds to give promise of colour
14. Plant a scented shrub in the garden
15. See the love in a dog’s eyes when you pet him or her
16. Have a bath with a few drops of lavender oil
17. Feel a handmade chocolate melt in your mouth
18. Read a book of Humorous Quotations
19. Write about a happy time spent with the person who has died
20. Share your feelings with someone who truly cares about you.

Gateway to Inner Peace

Hearts CAN Break and Hearts CAN Mend

Five years ago today, I saw my mother’s heart shattering into little pieces less than an hour after she was told that my father was dying.  They had been married for 60 years and literally lived for each other.

Mother never recovered from the shocking disclosure and died five days later. As it transpired, Father didn’t die from that episode but lived on for a further 16 months without her.

That hour in which it seemed that both our parents were going to die was about as nightmarish as it gets. Somehow, you don’t expect these things to happen at eleven o’clock on a bright May morning.

This morning, the world felt very shaky ~ as if the after shocks were rocking it all over the place. I knew that neither Mother nor Dad would want me sitting around replaying the awfulness and that they’d much prefer to see me out in the Tramore air, ideally with a dog running by my side.

So it was that Stan and I headed off and all I can say is that Tramore Beach and nature combined, like magic, to ease my angst and steady the scales.

I always think I’ve seen every single mood and shade of Tramore Beach but today she was different to ever before. The tide seemed to be miles out; there were unique cloud formations and the carpet of Sea Pinks was more vibrant than ever.

Here is hint of  the balm that soothed and carried me along:

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