Tenderness and Reverence in Grief and Joy

“I have never been more practiced in honoring my grief, and I truly have never had more gratitude and joy and reverence for life…When you really feel into grief, my experience is you’re able to love and feel a part of the life force that moves through all living things.” 

~ Dwight Dunston

In our season 5 opener, artist, educator and activist Dwight Dunston reflects on his first big love and loss,  the death of his grandmother Mamie Donald, when he was 10. He shares how that grief continues to shape how he shows up in the world — striving always toward open-heartedness and care even as he acknowledges the more natural instinct to be guarded and self-protective. As he reflects on some of the ways he stays connected to his loved ones who have died, especially his dad, Dwight invites us to consider how we might deepen our relationships to those who’ve gone before us. And the tenderness he brings toward his grief, choosing to be soft and kind to himself in his hurt and wounded places, is a graceful reminder of how to make more space for our difficult emotions. Dwight brings a palpable reverence for being alive and the range of experiences and emotions that opens up for us to our conversation. As a multidimensional artist, he also talks about creativity as a path to honoring and telling his truth.

We’re so excited for you to dive into this conversation and hope it offers you moments of witnessing and perspective, which, as Dwight so beautifully shares, are among the gifts of grieving in community. 

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