𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐓𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞: 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐬

“𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚.” 𝑳𝒚𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚, 𝑫𝒂𝒏 𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆 (𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟐)

Can you remember the experience of sitting at the kitchen or dining room table growing up?

At first glance you might say, “What’s so memorable about that oak table?” After all, tables come in all shapes and sizes.

But the family table was — and still is — a place where life was lived, lessons took root, and experiences were shared.

It’s where we learned manners, respect, and how to listen to others who didn’t always agree with us.

It’s where we told stories from our day, shared chores, and welcomed friends to our table — learning generosity and the value of community.

It was also the place of late-night homework assignments and term papers — an experience lived again as a Dad raising my own children, only this time my typewriter was replaced by a laptop.

But the table also carried many of life’s harder lessons: a friend moving away, a difficult breakup, an illness in the family, the sting of rejection by a friend, or the anxiety of a parent losing their job.

That table absorbed it all — joy and sorrow, laughter and silence, small victories and daily disappointments. No matter what happened in the world outside, it was always that safe place to come back to.

In Bereavement Ministry, we create a special version of that safe place — a Grief Table.

It is a table where those who mourn are always welcome, free to share their grief without judgment or expectation.

A table where grief is validated and supported, and where each person has the freedom to move through their journey at their own pace. A place where deep love, pain, and questions about the future can be voiced.

And yes, even in grief, God sets a place for each of us at His Table of Plenty, offering what we need to move forward.

The Grief Table holds our sorrow and pain, yet it is strong enough to give hope, comfort, connection, and healing. It cherishes and celebrates the lives of our loved ones as we search for meaning and purpose in moving forward.

While that table cannot erase our loss, it helps us carry it with others who also know what it means to grieve.

In essence, the Grief Table becomes a place where our grief is held, honored, and shared in community — much like our family tables, where we once held one another through all of life’s ups and downs.

So How About for You?

*What memories come to mind when you think of your own family table?

*How has it shaped the way you carry both joy and loss?

*If you could “set the table” today for those you’ve lost, who would you want sitting beside you?

I’d love to hear your reflections.

Wishing you the gift of God’s abundant blessings, Dr. K

#ExecutiveCoaching #CareerCoaching #GriefCoaching #SpiritualCoaching