The Listening Bench: A Gentle Place to Sit with Your Grief
Grief & Grits with a Cup of Heartache Introduction
Your community can include this column in monthly newsletters for residents, families, and prospective residents, providing consistent emotional support and reinforcing your commitment to holistic wellbeing.
Each month, The Listening Bench offers a gentle reminder to residents and families that the “messy middle” of grief, the guilt, the fog, the moments of wondering “Shouldn’t I be feeling better by now?” is a normal and human part of loss.
No platitudes. No empty encouragement. Just honest, compassionate words that acknowledge how difficult grief can be and remind readers that they're supported by a community that cares.
Grits & Grief with a Cup of Heartache Column Sample
You know those days when grief feels like your regular order at life’s café?
You don’t even need to ask. The universe just slides it across the counter:
“Here you go, one hot cup of heartache, extra strong.
And would you like some grits and grief with that?”
No one asks for this menu. No one wants to taste-test the bitter brew of loss.
But when life serves it up, you can’t send it back.
You have to figure out how to take small, manageable sips until the flavor changes.
What most people don’t tell you about grief is that it isn’t all darkness.
Sometimes, it’s just quiet… like a half-empty café where your usual crowd doesn’t show up anymore.
You still go out of habit, out of comfort, but you notice the silence more than the sound.
And then one day, a stranger smiles, or an old friend sits down. Or you find a new favorite corner, one with sunlight instead of shadows.
And suddenly, the coffee doesn’t taste quite so strong.
Loneliness after loss can sneak up in small, subtle ways.
It’s not just missing the person you loved, it’s missing the rhythm you shared.
The inside jokes, the mundane moments, even the arguments about what to have for dinner.
It’s the sound of one coffee mug instead of two.
Grief isn’t just an emptiness, it’s a recalibration.
Like when you add too much sugar and suddenly realize it’s not the coffee that’s changed, it’s your taste for it.
So if you’re sipping your cup of heartache right now, no sugar, no cream, just raw ache, take comfort in knowing it won’t always taste this way.
Life has a funny way of refilling your cup with warmth when you least expect it.
Until then, be gentle with yourself.
You’re not broken.
You’re just brewing.
The Listening Bench: A Gentle Place to Sit with Your Grief
A monthly grief & loss column to support your residents during their stages of grief
