Let's Face It. A Lot of People Are Suffering. Here Are Some Links to Useful Grief Resources

Losses can be devastating. It can be like a wound that initially feels numb, but then the pain hits you with an unexpected intensity. For some, the wound can become infected and require a more complicated healing process. Over time, the wound may heal, but the scar remains as a reminder of the pain and loss you endured. For some, the wound never fully heals.
--Dr. Ron Newman

Loss has always been a part of life, and alongside loss is that inner anguish we've come to label "Grief." The above is a quote from my brother's article Seeking Balance When Experiencing Grief.

I've already noted in several blog posts that 2020 is a year very few could have imagined. The economic challenges are pervasive and news stories somewhat striking, but when families lose loved ones, it's very personal. We're not just statistics. Their absence, especially when sudden and unexpected, leaves a massive hole in our hearts.

For this reason it's good to be aware of resources that are available to soften the wound and aid in healing. That is the purpose of this blog post. The trigger for this post was discovering that Quiet Heart Music has a new website: https://quietheartcomfort.com/

* * * *

So far COVID deaths are currently more than three-quarters of a million globally, more than 170,000 in the U.S. There may be a few, but most people have friends and family members who have had hearts broken this year, and more to come. Are you among those who have lost a loved one?

Pianist Henry Wiens has spent a lifetime producing and sharing music designed to comfort those who are hurting. Through Quiet Heart Music Henry sought to provide a meaningful, inexpensive alternative to sending flowers to friends, co-workers and employees who have lost loved ones. Flowers are a temporary token, but you can tell that many people today are requesting that "in lieu of flowers" you should consider giving to a charity that the loved one cared about.

Giving music that truly heals those who are left behind is another alternative. (EdNote: My intention here is not to put florists out of business. It is to add options to friends and family, especially an option that contributes to the well-being of someone you care about, the ones left behind.)

I found this note about the gift of music in one of my old journals:

Music is one of the more fantastic gifts of God. It lifts the soul on wings to ethereal inner spaces. Nothing more effectively breaks life’s monotonous hold on us, transporting us to the portals of paradise. How do musicians and composers do it? From nothing & emptiness they bring forth combinations of sounds, melodies, themes, so pregnant with feeling it seems an inexplicable mystery. Rainbows of sound, trembling with life, causing our hearts to break open with rapture, or sweet sorrow.--Journal Notes, June 30, 1993

* * * *

The new Quiet Heart website allows you to listen to Henry's music free, something I heartily recommend. Then purchase the CDs that you most relate to. (I have all, but also have favorites.) In addition to being a potent form of healing, Henry's music is perfectly suited as a background track for writers and artists. It doesn't intrude. Like a light breeze on a summer's eve it carries you along on its wings.

* * * *

Another truly valuable feature of the site is a section titled Grief Resources. One page in this section has links to an overabundance of articles on grief by Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt. In one of these he writes, "Grief is not a train track toward acceptance. Instead, it is more of a 'getting lost in the woods' and almost always gives rise to a mixture of many thoughts and feelings at once.

There are links to more than 50 articles dealing with all aspects of grief. Some deal with grief in general, some with helping you in your grief, or with helping others through their grieving. Others deal with grief with regards to specific situations like suicide, or grieving children or teens. Life is hard, and I know first hand how isolating it is to suddenly lose someone close when you are a teen. There are even sections to help hospice workers and funeral directors.

Visit this page for the grief resources noted above:
https://quietheartcomfort.com/grief-resources/

For what it's worth, Henry Wiens is a beautiful man with a beautiful spirit. You can feel it in his music.

Related Links
Henry Wiens Talks About the Power of Music as an Agent of Healing and Hope
Healing the Hurting Through Music
Quiet Heart Testimonials
A Grief Observed, by C.S. Lewis