The holiday season is often a time for families and friends to gather around the table to give thanks and celebrate the joy of each other’s company. But how do you give thanks and celebrate joy when there’s an empty chair that would have been filled by a recently deceased loved one?
We don’t often discuss grief during the holidays, but it is certainly the time when the loss of a spouse, parent, child, or friend is especially painful. Holiday grief is also something that’s experienced more often than we might like to think.
On today’s episode of the Great Stories podcast, Charles Morris returns to a conversation he had in 2007 with Dr. Norman Wright. A Christian counselor, Dr. Wright spoke to Charles not long after losing his wife to cancer. With Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching, we pray this raw conversation will be a balm and a resource for anyone facing their own empty chair this holiday season.
More on Grief During the Holidays
- Instead of feeling excited at the thought of celebrating Christmas or Thanksgiving, do these holidays make you anxious? Or sad? For many, this is not the most wonderful time of the year. Read some reflections on how to seek Christ when Christmas isn’t very merry.
- There is a lot of conflicting advice concerning depression in the Christian community. This podcast episode includes interviews with two Christian counselors who offer practical advice and tangible hope for anyone struggling with depression or anxiety.
- To help anyone struggling with depression, anxiety, or loneliness, we’ve collected some of Haven’s best resources on the topic. View our Resources to Help in Dark Times page here.
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3 Comments
Wow This is so helpful.Really explains it to the T. So understanding. The best program I’ve listened to in a long time.
I’ve just lost my daughter on 28th June 2022. It was suddenly. She was 41 years and has 4 children ages 24, 22, 3 and 2. I’m struggling so much I’m grieving for my grandchildren and myself. I’m so angry so sad I cry day and night I am crumbling so confused I have to be strong for my grandchildren question Godi expected me to go before her. Is it right to say God has taken her because she was very sad worked too hard on fixing others and God decided she must come back home.. I’m sad
It is devastating to hear about the loss of your daughter who poured out so much love in life. I hope this podcast served as a resource for you during the holidays, especially as you help your grandchildren through their own grief. It’s for situations like this that we posted this interview, for the many who have lost a loved one in the last year. I don’t believe it’s within our ability to know the mind of God, or to understand why some die well before it seems they should. But I do believe that just as her spirit lives on in heaven, so does her love that you spoke of in your and your grandchildren’s hearts. I’m not sure that’s helpful. I pray the Lord brings you comfort and peace this Christmas, even through grief.