From the book,
"Healing Your Grieving Soul,
100 Spiritual Practices For Mourners"
by Alan D. Wolfelt, PH.D.

8.
KNOW THAT YOU ARE LOVED

" Call it a clan,
call it a network,
call it a tribe,
call it a family.
Whatever you call it,
whoever you are,
you need one."
- Jane Howard

*Yes, love from family, friends, community gives life meaning and purpose. Look around for expressions of care and concern. These are the people who love you and want to be an important part of your support system.

*Some of those who love you may not know how to reach out to you, but they still love you. Reflect on the people who care about you and the ways in which your life matters.

* In contrast, if you lose this connections, you suffer alone and isolation. you feel disconnected from the world around you. Feeling pessimistic, you may retreat even more. You begin to sever your relationships and make your world smaller. Over-isolation anchors your loss and sadness in place.

*it is vital to create a sense of community that is spiritually nurturing and responsive to the needs surrounding loss in your life. Your relationships with family, friends and community are connected like a circle, with no end and no beginning. When you allow yourself to be a part of that circle, you find you place. You realize you belong and are a vital part of a bigger whole.