Illness, Loss, and Death in Family Life

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Alexis Arnold SFL 100 Share and Defend August 6, 2013 The chapter “Crucibles and Healing: Illness, Loss, Death” discusses various types of suffering that may significantly impact families, and the ways with which these instances may be coped. This reading first explains what constitutes a crucible and the importance of perspective and faith, so that growth may ultimately result from the adversity. According to the book, “Profound loss is associated with suffering and come in many forms: illness as loss of health, disability as loss of independence, infertility as loss of hope of having a child, and bereavement as the mortal loss of a loved on in death.” These experiences of suffering are termed as profound because their effects extend beyond the temporal realm. In addition to these, there are many other individual incidents of suffering that may be crucibles. The first article I read is a segment from the book The Shared Experience of Illness: Stories of Patients, Families, and Their Therapists. I read the section that is an overview of the effects of illness. This reading talks about how in every single person’s life the influence of illness is felt in some way. Even if an individual personally avoids a serious illness, it permeates society in a way that is unavoidable. The authors suggest that “Illness brings us closer to one another in caregiving, and it separates us through disability and death. It moves us to make sense of our lives, and it creates confusion and doubt. It inspires courage and fear, hope and doubt, despair, serenity and anxiety. From childhood onward…experiences of illness shape us.” Illness is certainly a potential crucible in every life, and its effects, while long lasting and painful, have the potential to bring families together and catalyze growth. The second article I read is called “Ambiguous Loss.” According to this reading,

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