Maybe I am just so in tune with grief and widowhood, that any articles mentioning either flash at me, but it seems that the past few days, lots of press has been dedicated to both issues. From the Dear Abby article, to one I came across yesterday about the memoir of Jon Ritter’s Widow, and last evening, a great article from Yahoo on grief and celebrities.

This is actually what should be happening! Discussion on grief, it’s quite exciting. No, not an exciting topic, but an exciting opening for those of us who regularly discuss and interpret our grief journeys. The openings that are occuring in everyday news referring to grief and widowhood, is a huge breakthrough for people who are grieving. The doors to discussion are open, and it is becoming less taboo to openly talk about uncomfortable and vulnerable topics.

For those seeking out discussion on grief, we can seek out support groups at Hospice, religious organizations, and online forums. However, some of these venues are not the healthiest outlets to speak out on our grief. Online forums have often left me beat up, with others critizing how I have chosen to grief, and the actions I have taken to move forward in my life. My local Hospice was comforting and welcoming, but being a widow in a group where the average age was 55-60 was very awkward and uncomfortable for me. Religious organizations made me feel I needed to grieve and believe, and I was not yet ready to believe in the faith of a God that had taken my husband away.

We need to continue to make strides towards giving grief publicity, to open topics of difficult discussion, and to seek, with welcoming arms, those who are hurting from the loss of a loved one.