Loss

Loss & Gratitude

On September 11, 1974, Stephen Colbert’s life changed forever. He was 10 years old. His father, James, and two of his older brothers, Paul and Peter, died in an Eastern Airlines plane crash, Flight 212, on a foggy day in North Carolina.

This tragic loss has surprisingly called him to a life of deep gratitude. Here he talks about that.

Here are some lessons we can learn from Colbert’s experience:

1. All people suffer.
2. When you suffer loss and eventually move through it to some healing, you have an opportunity to become aware that others suffer losses too.
3. Your awareness of the suffering of others gives you an opportunity to connect with them in a loving, supportive way. This is how we become more deeply human. We are called to heal through the love of others so that we can follow another call to become healers for others.
4. We can grow in gratitude for the way our suffering calls us to build deep human connections.

These lessons are true for any kind of loss, not just loss through death.

Resources for Those Suffering Loss through Death:

Hospice of the Valley

Hospice of the Valley offers a variety of groups to meet your needs. Please feel free to contact the bereavement department for additional information at 1-800-640-5180. They have programs for Widows and Widowers, Parents Together and even Pet Loss.

The following links will take you away from the St. Joseph website.

CLICK HERE for access to their informational events calendar.

• Understanding Grief
• Stress Associated with Loss
• Grieving Death by a Sudden Loss
• Grieving Death by Drug Overdose
• Grieving a Miscarriage
• Grieving Death Following a Long-Term Illness
• Grieving Death from Natural Causes
• Grieving Death from Suicide
• Grieving Loss at the Holidays
• The Stages of Grief
• Helping Yourself Through Grief

You are invited to share your thoughts, comments, questions about calling through loss with our staff using the form below.