I have never celebrated, or rather, observed, National Grief Awareness Day.

Grief Awareness Month is something I just found out about this month via my endless Instagram scrolling. So I thought the perfect way to observe this day is to allow God to guide our thoughts as we remember our loved ones lost and look to Heaven to pray for them, asking them to keep us in their prayers as well.

1 Thessalonians

This one is my absolute fave, because my dad, who passed away in 2012, was always close to the clouds through his job as a commercial airline pilot. He actually came to my fifth grade class and taught us about the different types of clouds and the science behind their formations. I remember being so proud that he was my dad, sharing his knowledge with my peers and impacting them for the future.

2 Timothy

The “four seventeens” are really strong when it comes to grief-related Scripture verses!

We don’t have to be strong through our tremendous losses. Sometimes, it’s okay to let the tears and emotions flow … God’s got you; he is beyond in control. We just have to let him hold us.

Matthew 5:4

Jesus mourned the loss of his dear friend Lazarus.

Mary mourned the hardships Jesus would face when Simeon shared God’s prophecy through his canticle.

Jospeh mourned the life he thought he would have with Mary, the home he had to flee when protecting the Mother and Son of God from Herod at the safe haven in Egypt.

Those closest to God’s plan for their lives know all too well what it’s like to mourn. But God comforted them in their sadness, and provided through the plan he set forth for them. Let the Lord be your rock, your shield, your fortress, and your safe haven in the throes of your grief.

John 16:33

“Take heart” … those are the words that mean the most to me in this Scripture quote.

If I could tell you one thing fourteen years after the worst loss of my life, it would be just that: “take heart”.

Take heart that you will come out the other side of your grief a changed, reformed person.

Take heart that your loved one is praying for you, interceding for you, and protecting you from heaven.

And take heart that you will see them again.

As Luna Lovegood said, “Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect.”

Matthew 11:28

Rest is a key consideration when you’re in the throes of grief, and even in the months beyond the loss.

When we lost my dad, my mom and I frequently sat on the couch together in the evenings watching reruns of Friends. We just let our minds rest from the taxing day we had muddled through, laughing at Ross’s antics, Rachel’s ugly cat and arduous birthing experience, Monica’s OCD, Chandler’s endless jokes, Joey’s machismo, and Pheobe just being, well … Phoebe. It was a bit of a refuge away from thinking about the one thing ever in the back of our minds … our loss. Getting good rest is a way to release that.

Job 16:20

I think this quote is my most favorite of all the six I shared with you! It reminds me that we have intercessors for us in the Heavenly saints who now serve as our lost loved one’s soul-filled friends in the great beyond. The saints understand our struggles because they endured similar ones during their time on earth, often great and tremendous losses that may mirror ours.

So when the tears inevitably come, remember that they are creating blossoms in our heart that form the prayers that the saints, and our loved ones, carry to the feet of Jesus enthroned. And, in God’s due time, our tear-soaked prayers, our cries to the heavenly coalition, will be heard.

Remember, these quotes are not just for today, National Grief Awareness Day, but you can reflect and meditate on them at any time when you want to feel a bit closer to God and the one you are missing.

And most of all, know that God’s got them. And he’s got you, too.

(Prayers, love, and light)