There is much grief during this pandemic. Many of us have experienced nothing like this in our lifetimes. Our world has changed and is continuing to change each day in the face of Covid-19. Change brings with it an experience of and feelings of loss. How does your culture express and experience loss? What does your culture teach you about grief? Does it have a language for or expression of lament? Lament is defined as "a passionate expression of grief or sorrow." Are sorrow and grief allowed in your culture or frowned upon? Do you allow yourself times of grief and sorrow? Would you know what to do with that time if you were to allow yourself to grieve? The white Christian culture I grew up in was not familiar with grief nor did it have language for or experience of grief beyond a funeral service. Positivity was the norm and was always reinforced; any ache or lament was encouraged to "move on".  The more I've read of the Bible, the more I see active grief and ache encouraged. We live in a broken world and there is suffering. Injustice exists and is happening to so many right now in this pandemic. What do we do with all we are seeing and feeling? The entire book of Lamentations in Scripture expresses protest for injustice and grief in suffering. It processes the painful emotions of grief and loss and gives language to the questions that suffering often brings. When we grieve and suffer, we often ask questions about the Lord, about ourselves, about our relationships and about the future. Lament and grief are a way to process that confusion and the injustice we feel, witness or experience. Grieving is normal in the face of change and loss. It is healthy to grieve. Grieving is an important piece of a healthy faith in a broken world. God does not condemn us for feeling grief or loss; He welcomes our questions amidst suffering and injustice. Lamenting is a way to grieve. Grief counseling can help formulate language and experiences of lament for the loss you are experiencing while respecting your spiritual beliefs and perspectives. In individual and marriage counseling as well as the grief counseling I do, I work with clients of many faith backgrounds. I also work with many clients who do not wish to incorporate faith into our counseling. Spirituality is only brought into counseling if you choose. The Coronavirus has left a wake of grief in it's trail. How will you express the emotions of grief and respond to the loss you've experienced? Grief counseling can be a support if you'd like someone to walk beside you on your journey of suffering and loss.