Dr. Mikael Harris

I think sometimes as a supporter, there's a lot of pressure that you place on yourself because in your mind you may be thinking, I need to bring something.

I need to say the right thing.

I need to do this thing.

When the truth is there's nothing right that you can do.

And because of that, one of the best things you can do, which is going to sound maybe paradoxical, is to actually bring up the lost.

You can't bring something up that hasn't already been thought of.

And as a matter of fact, what a beautiful gift to actually highlight the loss so that the person grieving can

can talk about it, which destigmatizes grief and loss as a whole.

So just to sort of give a tangible example of what witnessing is, just imagine if you and I were out, you know, on a beach, and I look out into the water and I say, gosh, can you see that in the distance?

And you say, Mikkel, I can.

I can see it too.

And we both

sort of marvel at whatever that thing is out there.

Oh, goodness.

I, what immediately popped into my mind were cliches, right?

So at least they're in a better place.

Delivering food, taking care of cutting the lawn.

walking a dog, picking up mail, dropping clothes off at cleaners.

You're having to make decisions about funeral homes and services and...

hosting and all these different things, financial decisions, that there's so much going on that it's such a gift to literally have a truncated choice.