Happy New Year! How many times have we said that in the last week? From the customer service rep on the phone to the physician’s assistant, I know I’ve said that phrase at least fifty times.

But sometimes the New Year isn’t happy. And sometimes the words, “New Year,” can mean, “new grief.”

If you live long enough, you’re going to lose someone. And that first year is the hardest. How can you cope without them? How can you be productive when your heart is breaking? How can you possibly enjoy 2016?

Because I’m over a certain age, I’ve lost several members of my family: aunts, uncles, cousins, a sister, and my dad. We’ve lost friends that were our age and a sweet little four-year-old friend. It’s been hard to celebrate the holidays in the past and even harder to think of going into the New Year without them.

Depression is a common condition among writers. I think that having a creative spirit makes us feel things a little harder sometimes. It’s that gift of creativity that makes us writers, artists or musicians.

King David was also blessed with a creative spirit. He sang, composed music and wrote psalms. Yet, he was also a ruler and a warrior. He lost men under his command during wartime, including his best friend and his son, Absalom, who died committing treason against him. He also lost an infant son. So how did he manage his grief?

He kept writing. He poured out his soul to the One who created him and he didn’t hold back. He laid his grief at God’s feet, even accusing Him at times. He prayed for help, documented his exploits, praised God for His provision, and even wrote a public psalm to repent of his private sin. And his words still provide solace to us today.

Although reading his works can help salve our souls, we can also pour out our grief by writing, too. If we look at David’s work, many of the Psalms followed this pattern:

1. He poured out his feelings.

I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. Psalm 57:2

2. He admitted how badly his grief hurt.

My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts—the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Psalm 57:4

3. Then he praised God.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! Psalm 57:5

I’ve always heard that you shouldn’t waste any experience. If you’re suffering a loss or scared of what the New Year may bring, use your gift to spill out your feelings on paper. And if you get stuck in your grief, be sure to seek professional help: your pastor or a grief counselor.

I pray that each of you will keep writing and will be able to walk confidently into a happy 2016.

~*~

When Angela Arndt enjoys writing stories set in small Southern towns. Coincidentally, she, her husband, and their three very large dogs (a lab mix, Staffordshire terrier, and a 12-pound poodle) live in the middle of a big wood outside a small Southern town. She would love for you to visit her on her website, http://www.angelaarndt.com, or her team blog, http://seriouslywrite.blogspot.com.