Many people think about making resolutions in the new year. This is usually a firm determination to do or not do something. Lose weight, exercise more and spend less are but a few examples of resolutions that are more often than not, put to rest by the end of January.

Online, you can find many definitions of resolution.

In chemistry, it is the process of separating or reducing something into parts. It is the fineness of detail in images and the picture on our flat screen TV. In medicine, it is when symptoms or abnormal conditions subside or disappear.  In law, it’s a court decision. In music, it’s the progression of a dissonant tone to a consonant one or how a musical phrase ends.

In grief work resolution includes adjusting to the loss. Part of adjusting to the loss is making meaning of the changes that have resulted as part of the death. Consider making New Year’s resolutions that will help you find meaning as you adjust to life without your loved one.

Here are some questions to ponder:

 -What have you lost?

-What do you have left?

-What are you going to do now?

-What is becoming of the person you used to be? Who are you now?

-What lessons have you learned?

-What self-discoveries have you made?

-What was important to you before the loss in comparison to what is important now?

As you search to find meaning in loss and revise your life story, you may begin to make some sense of what has happened. You may find a new continuity that bridges the past with the future in a way that makes sense to you.