Shawna Percy joined me this week for a live interview to talk about identity, hope, & healing after loss. You may also know Shawna as The Good Grief Guru. She is the published author of Breathe, a true story about marriage, faith and attempted suicide, a passionate speaker, a community advocate and one of those people who just radiates inspiration.
I was blown away by the unique and powerful ways that Shawna spoke about her own experience of healing after loss. In fact, I’ve been thinking a lot about some of Shawna’s ideas since our interview, as they have caused me to reflect on parts of my own experience in new ways. The details of our stories have many differences. I lost my daughter Nora when she was a day old. Shawna lost her husband Neil by suicide. However there is much common ground in the landscape of Grief. We share an understanding of what it takes to get back up after life has pulled the rug out from under us and we know first hand how dangerous the slippery slope of grief can be, having both spent some time on that edge.
There was so much great discussion that happened in that interview, but here are a few of my favourite take-aways from my conversation with Shawna:
-“When we lose someone we love, we may find ourselves looking at a shattered mirror of our identity, but like a stained glass window we can put the broken pieces together to create a new masterpiece.”
-“Before traumatic grief my world was black and white. I now know there is a lot of grey area that exists. I’ve learned that unknowns can be both scary and freeing.”
“Don’t start asking ‘why?’ it’s such a slippery slope and it can pull you to places you don’t want to be.”
-“It’s really important to acknowledge the bad, but not to live there. We need to make the choice to focus on the good to avoid being pulled under.”
-“You have to help people know how to help you.”
-“Even though it can feel so void and empty, there is growth happening in the darkness. Grab hold of it.”
You do not want to miss the full conversation. Grab a tea and watch the whole video here. I would also be so grateful if you shared this with your friends to help spread a little more comfort and support for those who may need it. Thank you.
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