Loving & Losing Brendan: A Very Public Grief: 2020-12-27

This week will mark 3 years since Brendan died, yet it only feels like it was 6 months ago. Throughout 2018 I listened to a lot of Keening- Irish Lament Songs. If you've never heard of these songs I invite you to listen to a sample in the comments section. Warning: Keening songs are incredibly deep, heartfelt and primal and they still bring me to tears.

I’ve learned so much about grief and compassion since Brendan died. There is no such thing as time when it comes to grief. The pain is not as great this last year, but it is a frequent visitor. Our culture does not allow us time to grieve. That is the greatest tragedy. I've read, listened and watched so many things about death & grieving these past 3 years. I’ve been in grief groups, had a grief counselor, and joined online grief groups too. I’ve been comforted and now I have the privilege of comforting so many who have lost loved ones. I’ve seen an increase of people flocking to online grief support brought on by the death of so many during this pandemic. I thought I had learned all there was to know about losing loved ones and friends because I had lost a few of my loved ones before Brendan. And yet I was not prepared for his dead at all and I was shocked at how it affected me. How it knocked me off my feet and pinned me (so to speak). I so much wish our culture would teach us more about death, dying and grief so that we are somewhat prepared when it happens to us personally. Death is hidden in our culture. It's all done behind closed doors. Which makes it impossible to believe that it could ever happen to us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml3Q1a148Ko&ab_channel=%C3%81ineMinogue

The Power of Public Mourning
Listeners of the ‘Death, Sex & Money’ podcast were invited to hold space for their 2020 losses. Here’s what happened.