Only people
who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow,
but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them.
Tolstoy
For more thoughts on the changing seasons,
please visit The First Time Around.
The following ideas honor the dead any time of
the year and you can do the activities with children:
One of the best ways to teach children that we respect the dead is to visit a well-kept
cemetery. This can be a pleasant and meaningful family outing, especially during the fall and winter seasons, because all
of nature is in repose as it awaits the renewal of spring.
Think
about the relationship between the changing seasons and the cycles of our own lives: We are born, we bloom, we mature and
we die to be born again into Spirit. Life renews itself. The symbolism of spring, summer, autumn and winter, as it relates
to the circle of life, can be helpful to children because it is gentle and valid. (If you prefer to omit Spirit,
try this: All of nature is born and all of nature dies. The imagery still works.)
If you live in the Cincinnati-TriState area, take a stroll through Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, a tranquil place that honors life in a beautiful setting.
Visit the graves of your own family members. Place seasonal flowers or wreaths by the headstones. Share family stories
with your children about their grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins -- to remember their lives and
how they influenced your life.
Instead of the ordinary
bedtime routine, pull out your old family albums and look at them with your children. This usually inspires some good family
stories that you might forget to tell them otherwise.
Your
heart will tell you what you need, or don't need, to grieve. Follow inner guidance.
