Finding Comfort in Grief During the Holiday Season

Posted on 06/12/24

The Christmas or Holiday season will soon be with us. It’s a time for family and friends, but I know that a lot of us here at DGHE will be experiencing our first Christmas Holiday season right through to January without a loved one, friend, or colleague because they have passed away.

This week is National Grief Awareness Week. Distance shouldn’t mean we can’t share our grief. If you have experienced bereavement, you may find support via The Good Grief Trust, a charity run by the bereaved for the bereaved.

Below, I share a simple poem which I hope will lift your hearts and souls whenever you think of your lost ones. This verse comforts and reminds us that a person’s spirit can never die. If we hold them in our hearts, they remain with us each and every day:

Immortality
Clare Harner, December 1934

Do not stand By my grave, and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep—

I am the thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glints in snow

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle, autumn rain.

As you awake with morning’s hush,

I am the swift, up-flinging rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight,

I am the day transcending night.

Do not stand By my grave, and cry—
I am not there, I did not die.

Support for Students and Staff

As always, please remember that 24/7 support is available for both students and staff through:

• TogetherAll
• Student Assistance Programme (SAP)

Contact details for these services, along with a wealth of additional resources, can be found on the Student Hub AWS site.

Let’s take care of ourselves and each other during this holiday season.