Healing Through Grief: Honoring Memories and Holding Space

A Minority Mental Health Awareness Month Reflection from Alpha Lambda Zeta Fraternity Inc

Grief doesn’t have a timeline and healing doesn’t always come with answers.

For many in our community, especially those who have lost close family members, the emotional weight can show up unexpectedly—on holidays, birthdays, or in quiet moments when the world expects us to move on.

In this honest and heartfelt reflection, three of our powerful fraternal siblings, Frat RevitALiZe (AlphaZ Odyssey Winter '20), Frat EXquisite (Royal Womyn of EXellence Spring '09), and Frat Moksha (Alpha ELEMENTS Spring '08), share how they navigate grief, love, and remembrance.

Rather than suppressing the pain, they choose to honor their loved ones with intention:

🕯️ Celebrating life, not loss

Instead of dreading dates tied to grief, they mark those days with joy—revisiting favorite foods, places, or rituals that remind them of the love still alive in memory.

💐 Permission to feel

Whether it’s shedding a tear at a gravesite, lighting a candle, or simply pausing to remember, they give themselves permission to be vulnerable without shame or judgment.

🫂 Staying connected

Even through sorrow, there’s strength in knowing that love doesn’t end with loss. As one Frat says, “I know I’ll be able to see them again.”

Grief isn’t something to get over. It’s something to carry with compassion.Let’s remind one another: you’re not alone in your sorrow, and your memories are valid, sacred, and worthy of light.

July marks Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and Alpha Lambda Zeta Fraternity, Inc. is proud to uplift the voices of our members as they share personal journeys, struggles, and strategies for prioritizing mental wellness in our communities.

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