BYU Life After Loss 2023

Last Friday and Saturday was the BYU Life After Loss Conference.

Such an amazing weekend.

Tricia came for both days of the conference and introduced me in each of my classes.

 

I taught Finding Joy in The Grief Cycle...

and...

This is a sacred conference.

I was humbled by the stories that were shared with me.

It was interesting to listen to people talk about what keeps them stuck in grief.

For some, how to grieve is instinctual.

For others, it just isn't.

I've also come to see that the adversary loves to kick you when you're down, and he uses grief as his tool to do that.

Letting go of painful beliefs, stories, and thoughts surrounding loss can be really hard.

We dropped some cactus's, and threw some snowballs...

It's interesting, the trees sometimes struggle to let go of their leaves too...

It actually has a name...

Humans experience basically the same thing when they argue with reality and hang on to painful thoughts and beliefs they have no control over.

So fun to have my mom, Meg and Trish join me!

Kev, and two of my beautiful girls came too. 

Of the many, many classrooms on the BYU campus, this one is my Education Week favorite.

I started picturing myself teaching on that stage last year.

And here we are!

I actually applied to teach at Ed Week this year, but with over 700 applicants, I don't think they had time to look over my proposals. 

So, I'll just keep applying til they do.

So proud of this sister of mine.

She has been doing some big stuff and when the timing's right, maybe I'll share more about it.

I don't know if I'll ever get used to people asking me to sign my books.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief after I finished my classes.

Madi came down from Salt Lake to see her mom and favorite aunt and joined us at my 2nd favorite Indian restaurant - Bombay House in Provo.

We feasted on good conversation, vegetable coconut korma, and naan bread.

Trish and I got a hotel and she joined me for day 2 of classes.

We attended a class to better understand death by suicide.

And another class on traumatic loss.

This presenter's 9 year old son just didn't wake up one morning and they have no idea why.

The autopsy showed nothing.

So sad.

I will say, however, that every one of the presenters, including myself, have drawn on the enabling power of Jesus Christ and found peace in Him. 

Nothing, and no one offers the kind of peace Christ offers to all who turn to Him.

Steven Sharp Nelson from The Piano Guys spoke and performed.

He has quite the story of loss.

I have heard a lot of quotes on grief, but this one by Neal A Maxwell was new to me and I love it...

"On the other side of the veil, there are perhaps seventy billion people. They need the same gospel, and releases occur here to aid the Lord's work there. Each release of a righteous individual from this life is also a call to new labors. Those who have true hope understand this."

"Therefore, though we miss the departed righteous so much here, hundreds may feel their touch there. One day, those hundreds will thank the bereaved for gracefully forgoing the extended association with choice individuals here, in order that they could help hundreds there. In God's ecology, talent and love are never wasted. The hopeful understand this, too."