Who I am.

I write about the landscape of grief, nature, and the wisdom of fools. The author of four books, my essays, poems, and reviews have been published in over 50 journals, including in the Huffington Post and Colorado Review. I’ve won the River Teeth Nonfiction Book Award, the Chautauqua and Literal Latte’s essay prizes, and my work has been nominated for four Pushcart Prizes and named a notable by Best American Essays. My account of hiking in Yosemite to deal with my wife’s death, Mountains of Light, was published by the University of Nebraska Press. http://www.markliebenow.com.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

What You Can Say and Do


In response to last Tuesday’s post, a number of people have asked about what we can say and do that is helpful to those who are grieving. This is for Stan, Peggy, Michael, and Diane.

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What we do for those who are grieving is a matter of compassion, of kindness that comes from concern for the wellbeing of the other person. Whatever you say or do, do it with compassion, with kindness that goes beyond politeness. Let your heart respond to the person who is grieving.


* If you would like to read the rest of this post, let me know and I’ll send it to you. *
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2 comments:

  1. Ricky B.September 23, 2014 at 11:44 AM

    Terrific and thank you Mark. I'm sure many can and will benefit from this. Any practice of being with grief, even second- or third-hand, takes not only compassion but courage as well. Those are good muscles to find and gently tune.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mark LiebenowSeptember 23, 2014 at 12:39 PM

    Courage. Yes! Definitely, Ricky. I like your word. Also the part about needing to get these muscles in shape for when grief hits us closer to home.

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