Grief Aware

01/06/2026

Looking forward to seeing you at Smiths Funeral Directors cafe on Thursday…💔❤️‍🩹

31/05/2026

I’ve told myself so many things about the losses I’ve known… ‘it is what it is,’ ‘time will heal,’ ‘at least they’re not suffering any more,’ ‘nothing lasts forever’ or ‘ it just wasn’t meant to be.’ I’ve convinced myself ‘heaven called them home,’ or ‘they weren’t meant for this world,’ ‘it was their time,’ or ‘the universe had other plans for them and for me’… even the lyrics of songs whisper ways of making sense of loss, ‘every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end…’

We all need to tell ourselves something, and we do; we create a narrative that works well enough. I’m not saying we shouldn’t frame our experiences in some way and there is often truth in what we tell ourselves…

It’s just that those stories we tell or the platitudes we speak over our lives and our losses are sometimes a way of trying to avoid the grief… they’re a bit like this gate, they’re a barrier we put up to protect ourselves as we try to keep the overwhelming thoughts and feelings at bay but the grief comes anyway…

We need to grieve that grief…the gate has its place but grieving is about building the fences that attach to the gate so that the meaning we find in our losses isn’t some stand alone, throw away statement but a concept rooted in our identity and in our relationship to what or who lost…

30/05/2026

Knowing what roots you when the storms come, which they will…that’s important. That’s why I like trees. 🌳

28/05/2026

I noticed the blackberry blossom as I wandered through the woods…nature is not static, there are already signs of the next season even though we’ve barely embraced this one! It’s one of the hardest and most hopeful things about grief - the reality that everything keeps moving forwards, that new seasons whisper their possibilities in the midst of the present pain…
Nature invites us to move forwards but that doesn’t mean moving on…we grow out of all that’s been, this season, just like the last, has made us who we are…nature invites us to grieve…

20/05/2026

Grief Aware Dates 2026!
In-person support course- starts Thursday 11th June
On-line support course- starts Wednesday 9th September
In-person training day - Thursday 15th October

15/05/2026

This week was the final week of the current Grief Aware courses. We talked about our network, those who journey with us and our need for connection…no-one should have to journey alone!

www.griefaware.org

Prodigal Connect: Grief Aware offers bereavement support courses and training workshops to groups and individuals to equip you as you navigate your grief journey

11/05/2026

Found a quiet corner in the cafe to ponder thoughts about grieving for a life you never got to live or versions of yourself you never got to be…

08/05/2026

*NEWS FLASH*
We are holding a ‘Grief Aware Training Day’ for anyone who wants to know more about supporting others in their grief.
The course, originally designed for those working in bereavement support services, is open to anyone who wants to understand more about grief and supporting others. It will run on Wednesday 3rd June 2026 from 10am-2:30pm in Peterborough and costs £50 per person. The course covers topics such as what grief is, why and how we grieve as well as identifying strategies for support.
All attendees will be provided with refreshments and a light lunch as well as a workbook, pen and a sought-after Grief Aware lapel pin!!
It promises to be a great day as we learn from each other, share experiences and find support as we support others.
For more info about the training day contact [email protected] and/or for more information about the Grief Aware project please check out griefaware.org

07/05/2026

Session four of the current Grief Aware courses and an opportunity to focus on what we allow ‘in’… because what we allow in directly impacts our thoughts and feelings and when they’re already overwhelmed by grief that we can’t control it’s important to reflect on what we can control…