With the presence in our life of a significant loss, as we work through the grieving and recovery phases along the loss pathway, we must try to gain an understanding of where we are in our recovery process. We need the clarity that can be developed through connections with our family and friends. Additional resources, such as clergy and professional therapists can add additional layers of clarity that will help us assess our progress along the loss recovery pathway.

We each travel the loss pathway with different levels of emotional recovery. For some, loss recovery requires the understanding that the aftermath of loss may be, in some form, with us permanently. It becomes our decision about how we emotionally adapt to the presence in our emotional composition so that we can proceed through life with positivity. The ability to create emotional adaptation requires ongoing clarity about how we structure our life in response to our loss. That clarity can can be developed as time passes and as we move through the life cycle with each passing week, month or year. Each passing holiday or anniversary after our loss can help us assess how we are progressing along the loss recovery pathway.