making authentic connections and exploring grief

by Jodie Gonzalez, LCSW of JAH Grief Services and facilitator/curriculum collaborator with We Practice Life.

I came to We Practice Life toward the end of 2021, an email header catching my eye among the dozens of others destined for the trash - unopened. The offer was a three-month program focused on mindfulness through photography. Like many humans in the world in 2021, I was weary. I was craving real, authentic connection with other humans, preferably in my own city. The group would meet on Zoom once a month (of course) but also in-person at a location in Houston, with monthly themes and prompts to get me out of the house, my big girl camera heavy in my hands again, after so many years of creative hibernation.

Over the past two years, I have been blessed to be a part of several programs with Brooke and the We Practice Life crew. A small business owners meet-up, a continuation of our photography group well past those first three months, a spirituality workshop, a full weekend retreat at Camp Allen,

all helping to build real, authentic connections with other humans in my city.

This year, Brooke and I started dreaming about how to collaborate, how to incorporate my social work background and personal experience with grief/loss. These discussions led to the creation of a new deck of practice cards focused on grief. It has been a joy to put my knowledge of grief concepts and mindfulness-based activities into simple cards that offer an opportunity for participants to move into their loss with intention, using compassionate supportive practices.

I'm thrilled to debut this grief deck during our upcoming workshop at The Jung Center in a small group setting. In my years both as a bereaved person and as a grief professional, I know the power of sharing our stories of loss with others.

In a culture where we're often expected to mask our grief, it's easy to use avoidance or numbing to avoid the pain.

At We Practice Life, we believe in speaking our truth, telling our stories in an effort to move toward wholeness, to integrate all of these messy parts of ourselves. No matter how long it's been since you experienced a significant loss or how many layers of loss have accumulated over a lifetime, it's never too late to go back and explore it, especially with the support of a compassionate community.

Learn more about Jodie and JAH Grief Services here.

Register for Jodie and Brooke’s Grief and Gratitude workshop at the Jung Center Houston, Sat. 11/4 9a-12p.