Weekly Tip – Grief Healing: A Message in a Bottle

 Weekly Craft Idea: A Message in a Bottle For a Memorial Ceremony or Solitary to Grieve

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What is it that makes the idea of a message in a bottle so alluring? I remember sitting down at eight years old to write a list of fantastic hopes and questions for the perfect stranger who, naturally, would be awaiting my letter on a balmy Pacific island. Today, I think I understand that urge: it’s a need for expression with no tangible judgment. All of my thoughts – positive or negative – were thrown to something so enormous, so enigmatic, that the only other equivalent of such self-expression would’ve been akin to a good hollering. It’s a conscious act of finding peace in submission to nature – and for that reason, it makes the perfect activity for someone in the stages of grief.

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It’s a conscious act of finding peace in submission to nature – and for that reason, it makes the perfect activity for a family to have guests join in at a celebration of life. It can also be a way to process your feelings, love and emotions after the death of a loved one.

When a loved one dies, consider writing down your thoughts: your regrets, your grief, your anger, your memories, etc., and throwing them out to sea. It’s great for a communal memorial activity, but also something that benefits from the sort of solitude and calm that the sea or a lake can gives us.