I am passionate about the subject of change and loss, grief and bereavement.  Most of us don’t know how to deal with our emotions about loss; often because we haven’t seen others do so.  So we suppress those feelings.  This is not a conscious choice; it’s reflexive.  As an unfortunate result, we live tamped-down lives.  Keeping the lid on our sad emotions also requires us to do that to our joy.  Why?  Because suppressing any emotion takes so much of our energy that we have to carefully use what’s left.  Holding onto anything too tightly squeezes the life out of it.  When we allow our emotions to move through us, we automatically feel them and release them.  This is as true for sadness and grief as it is for any others.

It has taken me many decades to learn this and, more importantly, to live it.  (And honestly, some days I live it better than other days.)  I want to share my journey with others.  I do so in the hope that it will help others find their own path to freedom.

My personal history includes losses large and small.  In no particular order, some are: the death of my mother following a ‘routine’ heart procedure (more than a decade ago); an 800-mile move as a child; the realization that my body is aging and doesn’t work as well as it once did; two divorces (one friendly, the other not-so); the release of my childhood religious affiliation; a sudden, unexpected two-hour illness leading to a beloved cat’s euthanasia immediately followed by the eleven-month illness and the euthanasia of her companion feline (no less beloved by me); the surprise end to an important romantic relationship (announced in a letter); fourteen job changes as an adult; fifteen residence changes as an adult; friends moving away following completion of seminary; the list goes on …

I am an ordained Unity minister and hold a Masters of Divinity from Unity Institute and Seminary, Unity Village, Missouri.  I have participated in many seminars, classes, and workshops on grief and loss.  I have also facilitated and led hundreds of such sessions.  Contact me at 816 974 REVZ or Rev Z at LeaningIntoLoss dot com for more information about how I can support you or your group in your grief journey.  I invite you to join me in Leaning into Loss.