David Kessler proposes a sixth stage of grief called meaning, where people reinterpret how loss shaped their lives years later. Finding meaning doesn't make the loss worth it, and it rarely arrives immediately.
What is the sixth or meaning stage of grief?
I have identified a possible sixth stage, and I believe that sixth stage is the stage of meaning. Many people, many years after a loss will find meaning in that loss. But I caution people, meaning is not something you find at the funeral. Meaning is not something you find in the first year or first week or first month. But sometimes when you look at a loss later, you see how that arc of the loss that was left behind by your loved one has helped you to create other things or become a different person. Or maybe helped you find great meaning to go on and do other things in your life. People often think when they hear about meaning that.
It means it was okay and it was worth it. It's never going to be worth it, even if you go on to do as many people have, meaningful nonprofits to help those in grief or mothers against drunk driving.
After someone lost their child through a drunk driver. You may find great meaning, but it doesn't mean complete understanding. It doesn't mean it's worth the cause. It just means you find a deeper understanding in the years to come.
