To grieve is natural. To mourn is normal. Members of the Funeral Services of B.C. are experts to consult in this area. YATES Memorial of Oceanside deals on a daily basis with many who have lost those they love and will miss forever. It is not wrong or bad to grieve or cry. In fact, it is a mistake not to. Grief is nature's way of assisting us to cope with the loss we have experienced and to take the love and emotion that we had in the person we have lost and reinvest it in those living around us.

This process takes time. Our lives have been disrupted and we are anxious over the lack of control we have in our lives. Sometimes our sorrow seems overwhelming and we may feel we will never get over it or ever recover. Yet, the experience of many generations testifies to the reality that eventually we can work through our feelings and arrive at a state of acceptance. The healing power lies within ourselves, so to grieve is very human, healthy, and a necessary response to loss.

Grief is not tidy. It does not travel neatly along smooth straight roads but rather akin to an emotional roller coaster ride of bumpy ups and downs. No two people grieve the same. Some are able to display feelings quite openly, while others check their emotions. Some may be able to explain their grief and readily talk and share, while others express themselves in activity and work. Grief is also a time of turning inwards. By necessity we must take the time necessary to understand our various feelings. We need to make sense of our changed reality. Although we would wish the deceased to come back, we know we must deal with this most ultimate of separations, if life is to go on.

One of the most universal experiences in life is death and with death, the grief that accompanies it. As we journey through life, all of us must deal with the passing of loved ones, be they Grandparents, Parents, our siblings or sometimes our own children. Understanding grief is an important area in our personal development and living life better.