St. Croix Hospice continues to think of you as it has been a year since your loved one died. Although grief is a life-long process, it is our hope that you have experienced some healing over the past year.
Grief can catch you off guard as intense feelings pop up when you least expect. It could be something you smell, hear, or see that makes your grief raw again. However, as time goes by, those grief attacks come less often and with softened intensity.
Officially, St. Croix Hospice’s bereavement follow up will end 13 months after your loved one’s death; however, if there is a time when your grief hits you hard and you would like a place to talk about it, please feel free to call a member of the bereavement team toll free at (855) 278-2764.
If you are at a place in your grief where you feel led to give back in honor of your loved one, St. Croix Hospice offers a variety of in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities. If this is something you feel led to be a part of, please email volunteer@stcroixhospice.com, we’d love to connect you with a chance to make a difference in the lives of other patients and families.
On behalf of St. Croix Hospice,
The St. Croix Hospice Bereavement Team
Bereavement Services Survey
In an effort to continue to provide excellent bereavement support to families, please take a moment to fill out this survey with feedback from your 13 months of grief support.
Understanding Grief: The Grief Jar Analogy
Grief is often visualized through the analogy of jars, where the intensity of our feelings is represented by the size of the jar. Society tends to focus on the “top jars” that depict grief as something that diminishes over time. However, this view can be misleading.
In reality, while the experience of grief remains constant, the jar itself grows larger as we continue to navigate life without our loved ones. Over time, new experiences and memories fill our lives, and while the intensity of our grief may feel less overwhelming, the love and longing for those we’ve lost stay with us.
You may miss your loved one just as profoundly today as you will ten years from now, but your journey through grief can become more manageable, as you carry their memory with you in a bigger jar.
