Grief is the internalization and rumination about a significant unbearable loss. The magnitude of the loss determines the degree of suffering. What losses would result in the experience of grief? The dictionary definition of grief is:  “Grief is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical dimensions. While the terms are often used interchangeably, bereavement refers to the state of loss, and grief is the reaction to that loss.”

There are three categories of losses that can produce grief. There are personal losses, relational losses, and significant losses.

A damning tactic used by the enemy during grief is the tempting belief that more understanding will bring more peace. So, we enter hell through the gate called WHY, never to return. We dig and claw for answers, only to find more troubling questions. WHY quickly becomes WHY ME as our increased self-focus turns to bitterness.