Anne Richardson: Grief as mentor

On Episode 10 of Grief and Gratitude we’re delighted to be in conversation with Anne Richardson who shares a variety of ways that she experiences grief as her mentor. She tells us, “Grief stories us and we story grief." Anne connects to grief through nature. She sees herself through nature and nature sees itself through her. She adds to our understanding of grief: “the places I’ve inhabited and they’ve inhabited me. It’s all part of grief.” After Anne’s mom died, she walked, solo, about 200 miles, walking the coast to coast in England that starts at the Irish Sea end at the North Sea. Walking the coast to coast in England. It’s where she discovered her love of walking.  While she walks, she stops and listens to the land, to the trees, the birds. She asks herself, “what am I noticing? What might you say to me? Not what can you give me, but how I can respect and honor you.” She further shares, “We’re not the only species that has a grief story. Trees grieve. Whales grieve. What other species can teach me about grief? Who are my mentors out there?” What might she say to someone grieving? “Just be kind and tender and gentle with themselves.  Ask Would you like to share a story? People want to have an opportunity to share a story and to be listened to. Not to jump in with your own experience when someone is sharing theirs.” And she gives us this gem: “Invite people to look at what their beliefs are about grief. Look at the root of it. See if there’s something they might want to shed, something they might want to let in.” Anne Richardson (she/her/hers) is a Board Certified Chaplain, Certified Spiritual Director, Certified Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator, Reiki Master, and published and award winning poet. You can find out more about her at Nurtureyourjourney.net and you can connect with her at linkedin.com/in/chaplainanne/  Thank you for letting us be in your ears for this tender conversation.  Grief and Gratitude is created by Anne Gudger and Maria Gibson as part of Coffee and Grief. You can connect with us on Facebook at Coffee and Grief Community or by email at [email protected] Anne’s memoir, The Fifth Chamber, is forthcoming September 2023. You can pre-order it on Amazon or wherever you buy books.