Looking toward the dawn
Holidays are often difficult after a loss. It seems everyone around is excited and happy, while your heart is heavy and the idea of celebrating seems impossibly strange.
For the past twenty-two months we have been living and grieving through a pandemic. We have lost loved ones, friends, and church family members. Our lives and our ways of life have been changed forever. If you are struggling to find a celebratory spark this season, know that you are not alone.
In past years, we have offered a "Blue Christmas" service to honor the complex feelings that accompany this season. While we are unable to do so this year, Jim Henkelman and Kris Green have compiled resources - prayers, events, and suggestions for self-care - to help us as we pass through this darkest season and move towards the dawning light.
Prayers and readings from a previous "Blue Christmas" service
Suggestions for navigating the holidays after a loss
If you would like to experience a Blue Christmas service, here are some options for you:
- Boston University’s Marsh Chapel Service, an audio recording of the Blue Christmas service held December 5, 2021
- A video recording of the Greater Northwest Area of the United Methodist Church’s 2020 Blue Christmas service
And, because grieving is hard work, here are some activities to help you care for your mind, body, and spirit during the holiday season.
- Breathe - Go for a nature walk (or an urban walk). Breathe and feel the wind on your skin
- Move - Get out your yoga mat or a chair and have a Grief Yoga experience
- Touch - Massage your shoulders, neck, feet, and hands and find compassionate connection within
- Sing - Use your voice to sing or hum a song. It can be anything from a hymn to the Beatles
- Sweat - As much as tears can be purifying for the heart, so can sweat for the body
- Dance - Put on a song that inspires you and find your way of moving with it
- Cleanse - Take a moment and have a water meditation in the bath or shower. Drink plenty of water.
- Rest - Whenever your body feels tired, take a nap. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is take a break.
O God of grace, fill us with your Spirit so that we may find peace and comfort as we await the returning light. Fill us with your Spirit so that we may live our lives as expressions of your love to the broken and hurting. Amen.
