Re-Imagining Loss & Grief
George Lottermoser
Re-imagining Loss & Grief
Between January and November 2024, seven Kinship community members gathered thirteen times to ‘reimagine’ loss and grief as part of a year-long exploration of the theme “Between Bodies.”
While we each had something specific that triggered our grief, either before or during our practice group, our individual experiences continued to reveal universal truths. Images of broken eggs, the chaos in our ‘junk drawers,’ or chairs invited conversation and reflection on generational trauma, family fracture, anticipatory ecological grief, and our deep connections to the places we each inhabit. Roots grasping at the edge of a cliff, flowers blooming out of season, books decomposing in a garden and clothes worn by women through time are just a few of the topics that drew us together. And during our summer ‘relay’ we experienced the truly powerful connection we were cultivating with each other.
Is it possible to re-imagine what we can not see?
Whether intentional or in our subconscious,
we influenced one another in an unspoken call and response:
One person’s vulnerability inviting others to let go; another person’s way of seeing inspiring new perspectives.
Honestly and bravely
we kept messing around in our collective ‘sandbox,’
letting the grit and grime
that is loss and grief
transform within, between and among us.
Chris Hancock Donaldson
Lyn Swett Miller
Rosie Villano
Sarah Barker
George Lottermoser
Chris Warner Carey
Lisa Stockton Howell
Along the way, we ask questions:
What can be saved and what shall I do in response?
How can I leave all that noise behind and mend my life?
What happens when the “us” no longer exists in physical form
and you become a “me”?
How do I remember my mom 7 years after she died
when those memories begin to fade and become blurry around the edges?
How might I validate and bear witness
to the grief of the person I’d hurt, including myself?
Will composting books,
which don’t seem to have the answers I seek,
offer a portal to some other kind of understanding?
Lyn Swett Miller
Lyn Swett Miller
Rosie Villano
George Lottermoser
Lisa Stockton Howell
George Lottermoser
Chris Hancock Donaldson
Sarah Barker
Chris Hancock Donaldson
Rosi Villano
Chris Warner-Carey
As each week and month passes,
we practice getting closer to the thing that is ‘noodling’ us...
our initial forays guide us forward, beckoning:
“come closer, go deeper...” together;
Take care of yourself, beloved, as you persist;
Acceptance today, confusion tomorrow,
practicing hope and leaning into enjoying the miracle of aliveness.
Chris Warner Carey
Chris Hancock Donaldson
Lisa Stockton Howell
Lyn Swett Miller
George Lottermoser
Chris Warner-Carey
Sarah Barker
We wonder if we are overworking the subject,
or are we just uncomfortable with where it is taking us?
Words present themselves:
ephemerality
ineffable
vulnerability
fatigue
curiosity
joy
and then we wonder:
What if we play with our grief
and practice moving forward with it at our side?
Lisa Stockton Howell
George Lottermoser
Lyn Swett Miller
Lisa Stockton Howell
Chris Warner-Carey
Dear earth, we listen and wonder what this all means.
What is this “thin” place in space and time?
How is it that playfulness guided me back into the world?
And could it be true that what was missing was found?
Rosi Villano
Sarah Barker
Chris Hancock Donaldson
