Broken and Missing Pieces in Grief

When we lose someone, we often inherit their belongings. Some of them are only a few years old. Some of them are decades, or even centuries old. We are unsure as to what to do with these items. Many come with missing pieces. Fragile items may come chipped or even shattered. No matter how incomplete or even useless they may seem, we often don’t want to throw them away. We want to keep them as binding reminders of how much our loved ones meant to us. While it may not be the most practical thing to keep every possession of theirs, you can find ways to use these relics in arts, crafts or displays to carry on their memory. The photo in this blog is a piece I made with all my twin sister’s, mother’s, grandmother’s and great mother’s loose jewelry, china, watches, keys and then some. It was fun and super therapeutic! As I put these loose and fragmented heirlooms into the artwork, I somehow felt a sense of healing, as though I had put some of myself back together after so many parts of me felt broken and scattered. I felt a little bit of wholeness again. Art in grief is an extremely powerful tool. Perhaps there are some ways you can utilize this too…