Strong Women Discuss Grief and Healing at Women’s Conference 2009
This past week in Long Beach there was an incredible gathering of approximately 14,000 women for The Women’s Conference 2009. Over the course of two days women from all walks of life shared their stories of inspiration, hard work and love. When I heard that Madeline Albright, Caroline Kennedy & Elizabeth Edwards were only a tiny sample of the attendees, I promptly decided that I will be there in person next year.
There was a very important and touching symposium conducted by California’s First Lady Maria Shriver. It was entitled “Grief, Healing & Resilience.” She bravely and poignantly shared her own experience of losing her mother and uncle this past year. A quote that particularly hit home with me was:
“In the United States, we are grief illiterate.”
I couldn’t agree with her more. Somehow, even in 2009, grief is shoved aside and frowned upon. Many even view it as a weakness. Yet there was Elizabeth Edwards sharing about the sudden loss of her 15 year old son in a traffic accident. She spoke of how she didn’t change his room for 10 years until she was forced to due to a flood. Susan St. James confessed that she still speaks to her son who died in a plane crash in 2004. Finally, Lisa Niemi, quietly spoke of having to turn off the movie Ghost because it was too hard seeing her beloved Patrick Swayze so soon after his death.
All of these confessions are so raw and so honest. These are amazingly strong, incredible women who have dedicated large parts of their lives to helping others. Yet here they are talking about the searing pain that death causes. They proved to people all over the world that yes, death is a force to be reckoned with. But don’t be afraid to talk about it. And don’t be ashamed to be bluntly honest about how you deal with it. We all handle highly emotional situations differently, but unconditional support is the best medicine. And I for one would like to thank these women for giving us all a much needed dose.
~Miri Rossitto
Miri is the founder of ValleyofLife.com and author of A Guide to Children and Grief.
Tags: coping with grief, elizabeth edwards, Grief, lisa niemi, maria shriver, Women's Conference 2009