4 Ways to Help Cope with the Loss of a Loved One

When a loved one passes away, we are left trying to pick up the pieces and wondering how to go on living with such a great-big empty space in our hearts. We know that God is able to provide the comfort that we need and seek. Whether you are grieving a recent loss or missing a loved one who has long since passed, here are 4 wonderful ways to help cope with loss and let a little sunshine in again...

Memorial Prayer
The gift of memorial prayer links your heart with theirs and God's. This form of prayer is a special mass held for your loved one each month where they will be remembered by the Cenacle Sisters who use the proceeds from the memorial prayer program to fund their many missions. Knowing that your loved one and yourself are being prayed for can help bring comfort but it can also bring joy knowing that not only are you helping your family but you are also helping others by giving.

Serving Others
When we serve others we are able to get our minds off of our pain and focus on the pain of others. Being able to bring joy to someone else is contagious. Consider volunteering somewhere dear to your heart or honor your loved one by serving at the hospital where they received treatments, getting involved with a charity that supports any health issues that they faced or just by being available to help others at your local church.

Random Acts of Kindness
Being kind and making someone's day is so much more fun when you can make it a little more interesting. Think of imaginative ways to make others smile. For example, you could pay for the meal of the person behind you in the drive thru and then give the cashier a short note to give the driver behind you when they pull up to "pay it forward" and do something nice for someone else.

Reach Out
Nobody does it alone. Even if you feel like you do not have people around you who care... you do. Get involved in your local church. Visit online support groups or those that happen in real life. Never keep it all inside. Let people in and while you are at it... let God in too. He is able to bring you the kind of comfort that you can find nowhere else.

From finding comfort in memorial prayer to discovering joy in kindness, there is no one way to get past grief. The key is knowing that you can be real and honest with your feelings. God is big enough to take them all. In fact, He rejoices in our honesty even if that honesty is sometimes ugly or angry. There will be good days and bad days with some okay days in between but when we let Him in to do the work that we cannot do alone, if we trust Him to see our heart as it is in that very moment... He will always prove faithful to us, providing us with the kind of peace that surpasses all understanding. For more tips, please check out: http://www.cenaclesisters.org