Encore: Who am I and what is grief?
March 17, 2016
Hosted by Rabbi Mel Glazer
[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]
Episode Description
I am Rabbi Mel Glazer, and this is my first show. I am delighted to be your host. I will introduce myself and you will get to know me a bit better. Then I will begin to teach what I know about grief and healing. I will ask and answer the questions: what is grief all about? What is the goal of mourning? My answer may surprise you, because it has little to do with the one who died. It has to do only with you! I will tell a Zen story and you will immediately understand how I hope you might begin to think about grief. Lots of different losses in our lives. Death, divorce, pet loss, loss of a relationship, weddings (yes, I mean that!) and many more. We have lots of work to do, I look forward to speaking and teaching and learning together. Finally, I am a Rabbi, but that has nothing to do with grief. Grief has no religion, it is an orphan that affects believers and non-believers alike. Tell your friends that The Grief Rabbi is coming, invite them to join you.
From Mourning to Morning
Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Empowerment Channel
Rabbi Mel Glazer dedicates his life to helping people face loss, because he himself has faced loss. His father died the day before his twelfth birthday. Yet he has moved beyond the emotional pain which accompanies loss. So can you. Drawn to a life of service to others, he became a Rabbi, a Doctor of Ministry, and then a Grief Authority so he could help others find a better way to heal from their losses. His two award-winning books have helped thousands of grievers find direction in their response to loss. Whether we are of any faith, or of no faith at all, losing loved ones inspires some of the deepest spiritual questions we will ever face in our lives. What meaning can we find in our losses? Where do we begin? Rabbi Mel connects his life as a leader of his community with his life as a supporter and comforter of other mourners. From this unique position, he has a great deal to teach us about facing loss. Rabbi Mel makes it possible for us to go “from mourning to morning.”
Rabbi Mel Glazer
It is a sad fact of life: Once we are born, we start to lose. You are here because you have lost someone or something very special, and you have no idea what to do or where to go or how to get there. It hurts. You are in pain. There may be tears and depression and hiding from the world and from your friends and family. You feel lost. We lose good friends, spouses, children, jobs, pets and our health. When that happens, we are clueless about what to do and how to move forward. Why is that?
Our parents do not teach us these lessons, nor does our society. We need to learn the correct way to “lay them gently down, to say goodbye.” Grieving means to complete the relationship with the departed, to say goodbye (not to forget about them!) and to be able to move forward to lives of joy and celebration. I, too have many losses in my life: Daddy died two days before my twelfth birthday. My first wife was sick for years and died. I have had heart disease for years. I recovered from those losses. I became a Rabbi, then I got a Doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary in Counseling. I have written award-winning books on grief. And I am now a radio show host on VoiceAmerica.com. I did it, and so can you!
Listen to what I have to say about grief, loss and healing. You ARE strong and resilient enough. You can do this. I will take very good care of you!
