A Lesson in Grief

Mark and I went to Jill's funeral on Friday. Chase joined us. He really wanted to go because he is good friends with Jill's middle child. I talked to Chase a little bit about what to say to his friend. I think that most people do not know what to say to someone who is grieving. This seemed like a good opportunity to teach Chase about what to say. His friend had a very difficult time at the funeral. Chase went to tell him that he was sorry and his friend became more upset. Chase was worried that he made things worse. It was the perfect opportunity to teach Chase that a friend who is grieving needs to know that you care. We talked about how he did not make his friend feel worse, his friend just feels really bad right now. We talked about how the most important thing for Chase to do is to make sure that his friend knows that he cares and that he is there for the friend. The funeral was very sad; young children should not have to bury their mother. I pray that Chase will not have to comfort anymore friends.