Expressive Arts and Rituals in Healing Grief

When my husband died 7+ years ago, after a 6-week rare illness, our son was only 5 years old. We became friends with a few families who also experienced loss. One family created a tradition on Father’s Day to release balloons from a park at the highest spot on a nearby city overlooking Boston. That June, with my 6-year old son, we joined them. This year, when my son turned 13, my artist sister presented this painting to him, inspired by a photo I had captured of that day. It was heartfelt, emotional, and healing, for all of us.