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SETTING A TABLE OF HOPE, GRATITUDE & LIFE

 The table is round to symbolize unity.

Men, women, young and old experience grief.

We come together for a mutual purpose, we are united for a common goal.

Unity provides strength.

 

The tablecloth reminds us that something special is happening.

Guests are expected.

We are encouraged to reach out to one another.

Reaching out to others is a key way to lessen loneliness.

Hospitality enables us to surround ourselves

with comforting and supportive people.

The guidance of caring people can sustain us and promote recovery.

 

Candles are lit, to remind us that God is the light in our lives.

Recovery from a loved one’s death, requires more than time.

We need a place to gather so that we can be nurtured by one another.

Acceptance marks a major step toward recovery.

Now we are able to be the light to others.

 

Flowers on a table serve to remind us of the beauty of

God’s creation all around us.

Life is worth living because we have been given two of the greatest gifts….

we can love and be loved in return.

We have the seeds to grow, to heal and to live with hope.

 

Place settings of plates, knives, forks and spoons represent

the diversity of our gathering.

We come in all shapes, sizes and experiences.

Grief is universal, grievers are unique.

Recognition of this uniqueness, enables us to help ourselves.

 

Bread is served as we are waiting for the main meal to arrive….

It sparks our anticipation and whets our appetites for us to discover

new things about ourselves.

We can build on strengths developed through adversity.

Survivors reaffirm themselves and choose life.

 

Water is the source of life.

Without it all creation will wither and die.

The water at the table reminds us of the need to be cleansed and refreshed.

Eventually, those who grieve recognize and embrace a healing truth…

“Grief has changed me but it has not destroyed me.”

 

Often there are upsets in our lives, things get spilled and tears are shed.

Therefore, we have napkins to clean up the spills and wipe the tears away.

We have all made mistakes and sincere regret is the best response to them.

Forgiving is not forgetting it is remembering and letting go.

We have now started to move beyond anger and toward hope.

 

Salt and pepper are often overlooked, but they provide

much needed flavor and zest.

If we can accept the lack of answers to “Why me?”

we might begin to ask, instead,

what can we do now to grow through what has happened.

We learn to have the courage to say, with conviction,

I am no longer my “old self”, but I am still me.

I now face the future with confidence.

 

There are chairs around the table.

We come to the table to be comforted

from our emotional upheaval and exhaustion.

A loved one’s death disrupts our emotional balance.

The variety and intensity of feelings seem overwhelming.

As we sit together and comfort one another,

we come to understand that what we experience in grief is normal.

We are reminded that in sharing with others our

“Joys are multiplied and our sorrows divided."

 

We have been setting this table of faith, hope and love

since the beginning of time.

Dying is as much a part of life, as is being born.

The circle of life continues.

Healing brings us hope. It takes time and effort.

We learn to express emotions openly and honestly.

We cherish memories, bittersweet though they are.

We realize we are not alone….

We count our blessings, not our troubles.

We count our nights by stars not shadows.

We foster gratitude for our past,

and begin to assess our own potential for the future.

Finally, instead of going through life as if nothing is a miracle,

we live our lives knowing that life itself is the miracle.

 

May you always set your table with

Hope, Gratitude and Life....

Happy Thanksgiving...Always with love,

Valerie Panciera Rieth