Foundations > FAR
Excerpted from Friends Along the Way website
FAR's Mission
www.friendsalongtheroad.org
To provide relief for those grieving the loss of family members and friends, so that they may have time and space in order to rest, seek consolation or healing, and possibly reevaluate their lives.
How can the world continue when your loved one is dead? It seems wrong! Why get up in the morning? Why eat, drink, bathe, or go to work? And why does your grief seem to upset other people, as if they just want you to get over the pain and move on? How can they possibly feel this way when the real question is: should you even continue to live?
Death and grief are taboo subjects in the U.S. In our society of convenience, periods of extended mourning are rare, and the bereaved are often urged to "pour themselves into their work" in order to deal with their grief. For some, this may be a useful way of adapting to loss; for others it is folly. Concerns about making money can seem unimportant when you yourself hurt so bad that you might rather be dead
There is no convenient way of grieving. There is no time-period for mourning. Each of us grieves uniquely.
The terrible hurt we experience at the loss of a loved one is not necessarily a thing to "get through" or set aside. Rather, as in the aftermath of any disaster, grief is a series of intense life moments that may affect us for the rest of our lives. How we deal with those moments is crucial, but no one has the right to dictate just how we should go about it. Grieving is a journey of discovery, about the universe and ourselves, and our reasons for being alive.
Sometimes, the best way to help those in deep grief is to simply be supportive of their experiences. We can try to love them unconditionally and provide for them as best we are able: help them get dressed, go to the bathroom, eat, and make it through each day. We can provide the conditions in which they may actually have experiences of grief. And maybe, with time, space, comfort, and saftey, they'll come to look closer at death, loss, and this odyssey called physical life. Maybe they will begin journeys to find reasons for living.
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