What is grief? Grief comes from the Latin root, “gravare,” which means heavy. Gravare comes from the Latin gravis, which means to make heavy. Grief is that heavy feeling that we experience when we have any loss. You should not be surprised when you feel grief that the world's weight seems to be upon you. Yes, grief is defined as an emotion. Grief is considered to be one of the twenty-one complex emotions. There are six basic human emotions: such as fear, joy, anger, disgust, and surprise. I share the distinction between primary and complex emotions to inform you that when discussing grief, we discuss a complex human emotion with various possible responses. Grief is difficult to discuss because the general population does not understand it or its depth. We often think that grief is a passing emotion that will dissipate over time. The reality is that deep grief can last a lifetime. The good news is that we can learn to live with our grief healthily. I will not discuss the stages of grief because the model set forth by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her book, The Five Stages of Grief, is not widely used in modern settings. It should be mentioned that the book did help move grief into a more current position in contemporary society. Grief was no longer stuffed and hidden in the closet; it was seen as an emotional response to various situations. I hope I will help you understand grief over the next several weeks, how it works, how long it can last, and most importantly, how you can live with grief and still have a healthy and fruitful life. Grief can certainly stop you in your tracks and even derail your life, but it need not be totally debilitating. I bring you several decades of experience as an ordained minister and other years as a certified grief counselor (CG-C) and hospice chaplain. I pray that my knowledge, training, and experience will provide insight into your specific grief situation. I also wish to state that these blog posts are for information only. Please do not read them and try to diagnose yourself or anyone else. If you need help with your grief, I encourage you to seek professional assistance. I also want to share one of the most important statements you will ever hear from a grief counselor. Grief is a journey through life that you should never attempt to take alone. The best thing you can do to help the grief process is to talk about your feelings. If you are grieving, you need to find a trusted person to speak with about your feelings. I will get into more of sharing your grief later. Grief is not like wine; it does not get better bottled up over time. We call that vinegar.