The COVID-19 pandemic has completely uprooted our daily lives, routines, and rituals — including the way we grieve the loss of our loved ones.

Because of the present circumstances, navigating grief is proving to be more difficult than ever before. Many of us aren’t able to “get back to normal” and “move on” because there is a “new normal” to adjust to. Many of us are also more isolated than ever before because of health and safety concerns for ourselves and our families.

Over the past few months, families across the Bay Area — and the entire world — have laid their loved ones to rest in ways they never envisioned. For example, families who had hoped to host a large funeral, memorial, gathering, or reception including all of their relatives and friends had to opt for a smaller service or postpone their event for a later date. Some families decided not to hold any service at all.

However, no matter which way your family chose to honor and celebrate the life of your loved one, it is impossible to completely escape grief. While many people experience grief in different ways, and its effects could present differently even among members of the same family, it’s important to be aware of grief and its place in the aftermath of losing a beloved family member or friend.

At Cypress Lawn, we’ve been helping families plan funerals, cremations, and burials for decades. Part of our work includes helping families navigate loss. Our staff has the unique advantage of being able to share our Acute Loss resources with our neighbors. This was designed to help families better understand the grief process, explaining all the emotions you can expect to encounter along the way.

With over a century of experience, we’ve learned that healing isn’t a place — it’s a practice. Just like there is a circle of life, there is a circle of healing. We’ve learned from experts that the immediate moments following the death of a loved one are critical and can have a significant impact on your journey to healing.

This is why we offer our Acute Loss brochure as a complimentary resource for all families.

We have also published in-depth blogs explaining each of the seven steps associated with Acute Loss:

• Stage 1: The Hearing Phase
• Stage 2: The Sharing Phase
• Stage 3: The Seeing Phase
• Stage 4: The Gathering Phase
• Stage 5: The Connecting Phase
• Stage 6: The Reflecting Phase
• Stage 7: The Celebrating Phase

We invite you to watch this video further explaining the concept of our Acute Loss program.

We hope these resources are a helpful tool for your family as you cope with the loss of your loved one. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of our Cypress Lawn staff members for further assistance. As your partners during this time of crisis, we will be there for you every step of the way. We are always just one phone call away.