Losing a loved one is never easy, but the epidemic has made things much more difficult for many families and older individuals. When our loved ones die away, many of us are unable to be with them. We’ve also been unable to grieve in the traditional way, due to lockdown limitations that prevent us from being surrounded by friends and family or even hugging them. This is particularly challenging for older adults who have recently lost a partner and may be living alone for the first time.
Whatever the reason of death, losing someone as we begin to emerge from lockdown can seem particularly cruel. It’s improbable that they’ll be able to spend the last year of their lives doing whatever they want or spending time with everyone they care about. It can also feel as if they were on the verge of returning to normal and that their future has been taken away from them. And it’s not just those who have lost loved ones to the pandemic who are struggling. Older adults who lost loved ones before the epidemic have informed us how difficult it has been for them to manage their grief in the last year without their regular coping mechanisms, such as socializing, clubs, and activities. The beginning of November marks the start of the All Souls season, which reminds us that death is not the end – even if it may feel that way. A ceremony will be held in honor of all individuals who have died in the parish of Weston and Shavington in the previous year. We will join in offering thanks for their lives and the memories we have to cherish, and we will pledge to making the most of the time we have left on this planet. There will be an opportunity to pray and light a candle in memory of your loved ones. Our Christian hope is that, in death as in life, we will find ourselves in the hands of our heavenly Father, who, by rising Jesus from the dead, demonstrates that his love renews, changes, and sustains us. Every occasion for remembering our loved ones is so important because of this hope.
