When Adam B. lost his mother two years ago, grief came in a new way. It wasn’t a new feeling. Having lost many friends and family members in the recent past, grief began to feel almost familiar. But that didn’t make it any easier to understand.
After his mother’s death, Adam began meeting one-on-one with Hospice of Michigan’s grief counselor Ryan Miller. What began as a way to cope with overwhelming stress became a 13-month journey of learning how to sit with grief rather than push it away.
“I started meeting with Ryan right after it happened because I had a lot of mixed emotions and complicated thoughts, and I wanted to talk about them,” Adam shared. “My mom had her own struggles. It took me a long time to realize she did the best she could. I was angry for a while, and then for quite some time, I didn’t feel anything at all.”
Ryan helped Adam understand that all of the emotions he was feeling are okay and that sometimes, it’s okay to feel nothing. He shared that grief can be like the tide, coming in or going out at different times. That some days you feel grief deeply, and other days feel nothing at all. And that healing doesn’t mean “getting over” loss.
In addition to one-on-one meetings, Adam also participated in community memorial services and creative remembrance activities, including an ornament-making session. These experiences offered space to honor his mother while connecting with others who understood loss and grief.
His daughter also had the chance to attend Hospice of Michigan’s Camp Good Grief, a day-camp designed to help children process loss in fun, supportive ways with others their age.
“She enjoyed it and wants to go back,” Adam said. “I really think it helped her.”
Over time, Adam learned to be comfortable with uncomfortable feelings and that everyone is on their own timeline for processing loss. Today, grief is still present in Adam’s life. But he knows one thing: he wouldn’t be where he is now without the support he received.
Hospice of Michigan’s grief support programs are available to individuals and families at any point in their grief journey, whether the loss is recent or years past, free of charge. Through one-on-one counseling, memorial events, support groups, and programs like Camp Good Grief, individuals don’t have to walk through loss alone.
Hospice of Michigan relies on donor generosity to provide the comprehensive, compassionate grief support services needed after experiencing loss. Help bring comfort to people like Adam by making a tax-deductible gift today.