Death and Grief During a Pandemic

Kim – Self care

Kim talks about looking after yourself and how much it helps. In particular be kind to yourself

Christian – Autonomy for the homeless

Christian discusses those who are unhoused and how they want a space that is theirs and how we need to take that seriously especially when it comes to grief

Lynda – ‘Pandemic and triggers”

Lynda discusses how hard it is during the pandemic to avoid triggers

Holly – Singing in the last days

Holly talks about her partner’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis, the pandemic, their decisions, faith and how singing

Jean – Be good to yourself

Jean shares about support and not being hard on yourself

Kate – Time to process

Kate shares about time and processing her grief especially during COVID

Nicole – Stigma Surrounding Drug Use

Nicole discusses how the stigma around drug use has an impact on how people feel able to grieve when those in their community are lost.

Michele – Expressive arts and healing grief

Michele defines expressive arts and how they can help healing in grief

Jean – It’s all about love

Jean talks about losing her husband to a heart attack on valentines day

Maureen – Funeral during the pandemic

Maureen talks about funeral arrangements during a pandemic

Weathering the Intense Emotions of Grief

Grief often comes with powerful, unpredictable emotional shifts that can be painful to experience. While it’s important to find ways to sit with these feelings, to acknowledge the pain of grief and accept loss, it’s also necessary to find ways to ease and manage the pain. There are several simple activities that you can explore to help.

Beauty found at the edges: a portrait of community support

I’d sent a text saying “Hello friends, I’m putting out a call for flowers. I went to public school with Kory, the young man who died in downtown Cobourg this week, and though I hadn’t seen him in recent years, I feel the loss of him on a community level, as I imagine you do, too. Some of Kory’s people are gathering tonight in vigil at the bank where he died, and I’m gathering flowers from those of us who have gardens to share with this grieving community. Do you have some blooms in your garden that you’d be willing to share?”