Grief is deeply personal. There is no roadmap for it, no timeline to follow, and no moment when someone can simply decide they are finished grieving. It changes from day to day and sometimes from moment to moment.
At its heart, grief exists because love exists.
Throughout my years as a Certified Child Life Specialist, I have had the privilege of walking alongside children, families, and siblings during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. I have witnessed grief in many forms — the loss of a child, the loss of the life a family once knew, the loss of expectations for the future, and the countless smaller losses that can accompany a serious medical diagnosis.
My education taught me how to understand grief and provide developmentally appropriate support, but some of the most meaningful lessons have come from the families who have allowed me into the most vulnerable parts of their stories.
- They have taught me that sometimes people don’t need the perfect words.
- They need someone willing to listen.
- They need permission to talk about the person they love.
- They need to hear their loved one’s name spoken without fear that it will somehow make their grief harder.
- They need opportunities to remember, reflect, laugh, cry, and tell the same stories as many times as they need to tell them.
- And sometimes, they simply need something they can hold.
There is something incredibly powerful about having a tangible connection to a memory or experience. An object cannot replace the person who is missing, but it can provide a place for memories to live and a physical reminder that the love connected to those memories remains.
This understanding is woven throughout the Beads of Courage® Compassion & Courage resources.
Through the art form of beads, individuals experiencing grief are given an opportunity to pause, reflect, remember, and create something meaningful that represents their unique story. A bead can hold an intention, mark a memory, represent a feeling, or simply become something to reach for on a particularly difficult day.
These tangible reminders quietly say:
- Your story matters.
- Your loved one is remembered.
- You do not have to carry this alone.
Perhaps one of the most important things I have learned from walking alongside grieving families is that supporting grief is not about helping someone “move on.” It is about helping them find ways to move forward while continuing to carry the love and memories that remain an important part of who they are.
Beads of Courage is honored to provide Compassion & Courage resources designed by caring clinicians to support individuals experiencing grief across ages, circumstances, and settings. These resources are intended to be facilitated by clinicians and other caring professionals who can create a safe space for reflection, connection, and remembrance.
For those of us who have the privilege of supporting someone through grief, perhaps our greatest gift is simply our willingness to be present — to listen to the stories, to say the names, to remember alongside them, and to remind them that even in the hardest moments, they are not alone.
Because grief may change over time, but the love behind it remains.
– Ashley Farish, BS, CCLS
Program Director, Beads of Courage
