Holding Space for Goodbye: When Service Meets Grief
Holding Space for Goodbye: When Service Meets Grief
By Angel, Founder of AMC Rise and Thrive
Hello beautiful souls,
Today I am writing from a place that feels both heavy and
sacred at the same time.
There are seasons in life when our emotions settle gently,
like a quiet breeze drifting through an open window. Those are the days when
everything feels balanced, manageable, and calm.
And then there are other seasons.
Seasons when our hearts hold many emotions at
once—responsibility, love, grief, gratitude, memory, and reflection. Seasons
when life asks us to stand in moments that feel both deeply meaningful and
deeply painful.
Today is one of those days.
My heart has been busy preparing for something I had hoped
would still be weeks away. But as we all know, life rarely moves according to
the timelines we wish it would follow.
Instead, life asks us to step forward when the moment arrives.
And lately, that moment has arrived sooner than expected.
I have begun preparing for a funeral for someone deeply loved
by many. The quiet work behind the scenes has already started—making sure the
necessary paperwork is notarized, speaking with family members about
arrangements, gathering memories, and beginning the thoughtful process of
crafting a eulogy that will properly honor a life that mattered.
When you sit in moments like this, you begin to understand
something profound.
Love does not end when someone’s life on earth does.
It changes form.
It deepens.
And sometimes, it becomes the reason we find the courage to
show up even when our hearts feel fragile.
What makes this moment even more meaningful for me personally
is that on March 9th, I quietly reached the one-year anniversary of
being ordained.
A year ago, I stood at the beginning of a spiritual path that
I knew in my heart I was meant to follow, but I didn’t yet know exactly where
it would lead.
Like many callings in life, the details were not fully
revealed.
All I could do was listen to the pull in my spirit and say
yes.
Now, one year later, I find myself standing in a moment where
that calling is no longer theoretical. I have stepped in a smaller role already
but now I am the one who is conducting the full service.
It is real.
It is needed.
And while my heart aches, I also feel deeply honored to help
carry this responsibility.
Because when someone you care about is stepping into their
final chapter, the greatest gift you can offer is not perfection.
It is presence.
The Sacred Responsibility of Showing Up
When people think about funerals, they often focus only on the
sadness.
And yes—grief is very real.
Loss is real.
The absence someone leaves behind can feel overwhelming and
impossible to fully describe.
But there is another side to these moments that people don’t
always talk about.
Funerals are also sacred gatherings of love.
They are spaces where stories are remembered.
Where memories rise to the surface.
Where laughter sometimes appears unexpectedly in the middle of
tears.
They remind us that a life mattered.
Right now, much of my time has been spent helping prepare
those quiet details that many people never see.
Making sure documents are completed properly.
Helping coordinate conversations with family members.
Listening as people share memories of the person they love.
Beginning the delicate work of writing a eulogy that reflects
not just facts about a life, but the heart of the person who lived it.
This kind of work cannot be rushed.
Every life deserves to be honored with care and intention.
As someone who has been ordained, I understand that my role is
not to erase grief or remove the pain of loss.
That simply isn’t something any human being can do.
Grief is the natural echo of love.
But what I can do is help create a space where that love is
acknowledged, honored, and celebrated.
I can help guide the family through moments that might
otherwise feel overwhelming.
I can help hold emotional space when the words are hard to
find.
And sometimes, simply knowing that someone is walking beside
you can make an unbearable moment feel just a little easier to carry.
That matters.
It would matter to me if I were the one facing that moment.
So I show up the best way I know how.
With compassion.
With patience.
With humility.
The Quiet Impact of a Good Doctor
As if preparing for this funeral wasn’t enough for my heart to
process, I also received news this week that someone else who had a meaningful
impact on my life has passed away.
My doctor passed away on March 3rd.
He had been battling lung cancer, and eventually his body
simply couldn’t fight anymore.
Some people might assume that losing a doctor would not feel
particularly personal.
But in this case, it absolutely did.
Because he was not just a doctor who rushed through
appointments and moved on to the next patient.
He was the kind of physician who is becoming increasingly
rare.
He listened.
He cared.
And he truly paid attention to the people sitting across from
him.
My family knew him for many years.
He worked with my mom for a long time, which meant I got to
know him on a more personal level. Over time he ended up becoming the doctor
for nearly my entire household.
He treated my mom.
He treated me.
He treated my husband.
And he even cared for my son.
In fact, he played a very important role in one of the most
significant moments in our lives.
He was the doctor who referred us for the testing that
eventually confirmed that my son has autism.
That single referral changed everything.
It opened the door to understanding.
It led us to the resources we needed.
It allowed us to better support our child and help him
navigate the world.
That one moment of attention and care created ripple effects
that still shape our lives today.
And that is the true power of a good doctor.
They do more than treat symptoms.
They change lives.
Remembering the People Who Showed Up for Us
Throughout our lives we meet many people.
Some pass through our story quickly.
Others become quiet pillars in the foundation of our journey.
My doctor was one of those pillars.
He had been my physician long before I became pregnant with my
son. When I found out that he didn’t deliver babies, I remember feeling
genuinely disappointed.
I had to find a specialist for that chapter of life.
But once my pregnancy journey was over, I returned to him
immediately.
Because when you find a doctor who truly listens, you don’t
let them go easily.
Anyone who has struggled to find compassionate medical care
understands exactly what I mean.
Too many people have experienced the frustration of feeling
dismissed.
Being told their symptoms are nothing.
Being made to feel like they are exaggerating or imagining
things.
But not him.
He took people seriously.
He listened carefully.
And he helped guide me through one of the most frightening
health moments of my life.
In 2020, I experienced a severe medical issue where I
was bleeding so heavily that it became life-threatening.
Without his care and attention, that situation could have
ended very differently.
When I reflect on that now, it becomes even more clear just
how important he was in my life.
Another memory that always stands out happened on the day of
my car accident—the one where I hit a deer going 70 miles per hour while
on my way to an appointment.
By that point, he had already moved offices and the drive to
see him had become about forty minutes from my house.
Most people probably would have switched doctors to find
someone closer.
But I didn’t.
Because he was worth the drive.
That kind of dedication.
That kind of care.
That kind of listening.
It is rare.
And when someone like that leaves this world, the loss is felt
by many.
Affirmations for Navigating Grief and Gratitude
If your heart is holding memories of someone you’ve lost, take
a moment to breathe deeply and let these affirmations settle gently into your
spirit.
• Love does not disappear when a life ends.
• I honor the people who shaped my journey.
• My grief reflects the depth of my love.
• God walks beside me through every season of life.
• The kindness others showed me continues through the way I treat others.
• Memories can become a source of gratitude and strength.
Bible Verse
Ecclesiastes 3:1–8
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot…
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance…
a time to be silent and a time to speak.
This passage is one of the most honest reflections about life
found in scripture.
It reminds us that life moves through seasons we cannot
control.
There will be seasons of joy.
And seasons of grief.
There will be moments when we celebrate beginnings.
And moments when we must say goodbye.
Even though we know this truth intellectually, facing it
emotionally is never easy.
But this verse reminds us that every moment—even the painful
ones—exists within the greater rhythm of life that God understands far better
than we do.
And in that understanding, there is comfort.
Because even grief has its place in the story.
🎵 Song of
the Day
“Turn! Turn! Turn!” by The Byrds
When I was searching for scripture to include in the eulogy
I’m preparing, this passage from Ecclesiastes came up.
As I read it, something felt familiar.
And then it hit me.
I knew these words from a song.
“Turn! Turn! Turn!” by The Byrds is almost entirely based on
this exact biblical passage. The lyrics mirror the message of Ecclesiastes,
reminding us that every part of life—joy, sorrow, love, and loss—has its
appointed season.
The song became popular in the 1960s, but its message is
timeless because the scripture behind it is timeless.
What I find beautiful about this connection is how it shows
that truth can echo across generations.
A verse written thousands of years ago became a song that
touched millions of hearts decades ago.
And today, it still speaks to us.
The message is simple but powerful:
Life moves in cycles.
Seasons change.
And even in moments of grief, we are still part of a larger
rhythm that continues turning.
Final Thoughts
This week has reminded me how fragile and meaningful life
truly is.
Preparing to guide a family through grief while also
processing the loss of someone who helped care for my own family has been
emotionally heavy.
But it has also been grounding.
Because moments like these clarify what truly matters.
Kindness.
Compassion.
Listening.
Showing up when someone needs you.
My doctor showed up for his patients for many years.
And now, as I step into this role helping guide a family
through loss, I hope I can offer that same presence.
Not to fix everything.
But to help carry the weight for a little while.
Because none of us were meant to walk through life alone.
And none of us should have to face grief without support.
With you in both the sorrow and the strength,
Angel 🤍
If this message touched your heart, consider sharing it with
someone who may be navigating loss or remembering someone they love.
You’re also welcome to explore the AMC Rise and Thrive
archive—there may be another reflection waiting for you at exactly the right
moment.
Life unfolds in ways we cannot always predict. All we can do
is remain open, compassionate, and faithful as God continues guiding the story
forward.
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