Sometimes, thinking about our ancestors is a source of grief. Because we miss people no longer living, or because we feel a profound sense of separation from them. There are many ways to live with and express grief, and we can learn from each other as we do this.
How do you express your grief in healthy ways?
I am now half a century old and lost my parents, my most immediate ancestors, a long while ago. I really don’t grieve for them, because I feel them as close as my own skin. My brothers and I were extraordinarily lucky in our parents, who gave us space to grow and never told us what to think, but turned us back on ourselves to find our own answers, as it should be, and loved us fiercely. I think if your immediate ancestors have done so much to give you yourself, the gratitude eventually displaces the grief.