Companioning

From The Director

Summer 2017

Aside from “I’m sorry for your loss,” you may not always know exactly what to sayto someone who has lost a loved one, and that is okay. You are not expected to have all of the answers or take away their pain, and there is no perfect thing to say. Today, I encourage you to simply companion those you know who are grieving. I recently came across a piece of writing I would like to share with you. It speaks so beautifullyabout the remarkable way in which our participants at Mary’s Place walk alongsideone another through their grief journeys, offering support, encouragement and compassion to each other.

Companioning

“Companioning is about honoring the spirit; it is not about focusing on the intellect.

Companioning is about curiosity; it is not about expertise.

Companioning is about learning from others; it is not about teaching them.

Companioning is about walking alongside; it is not about leading.

Companioning is about being still; it is not about frantic movement forward.

Companioning is about discovering the gifts of sacred silence; it is not about filling every painful moment with words.

Companioning is about listening with the heart; it is not about analyzing with the head.

Companioning is about bearing witness to the struggles of others; it is not about directing those struggles.

Companioning is about being present to another person's pain; it is not about taking away the pain.

Companioning is about respecting disorder and confusion; it is not about imposing order and logic.

Companioning is about going to the wilderness of the soul with another human being; it is not about thinking you are responsible for finding the way out.”

-Dr. Wolfelt’s Tenets of Companioning the Bereaved

On behalf of our children and families, I thank you: our contributors, volunteers and community members. It isyour support that allows Mary’s Place to continue to be theplace of hope and healing that it is to so many.

Warmly,

Brittany Sheehan