Originally presented to a group gathered together before a holiday memorial service that we presented at the University of Dallas (UD). There are probably a number of misspellings.

When we first began talking with Jackie about having a service like this at UD, it was just after the attacks of September the 11th, and it seemed that so many of us were going through our days like the walking wounded - like literally being in shell shock, sensing the pain of what we have experienced yet not really able yet to talk about what we were feeling . . . similar to the early stages of grief.

We talked also about how many folks may not really understand how all loss can be followed by grief and how loss includes so much more than death - for example, many of us have experienced a loss of a sense of security or general safety in our everyday lives, perhaps this is the first year that all of your children are now away from home - maybe your youngest has joined the terrific ranks of these students, perhaps you have experienced the loss of a relationship or have gone through a separation or divorce, or maybe something really good happened this year, such as a move to a new home or a promotion to a new job with another company - even with a positive experience there can be loss through moving away from your friends or family or co-workers.