Beneath the Tide

Event Description

Grief is one of those things we often think we only encounter when we lose a loved one. That is one part of it. But God also invites us not only into the pursuit of happiness, but into honoring the truth of our human experience. In this life, we will experience loss, suffering, and pain.

Grief can be the death of someone we love. It can also be the ache we carry when people we love lose someone dear to them. It can be the future we thought we were building, the love we gave that was not fully received, a friendship ending or changing shape, a pet, a job, housing, routine, family wounds, or a season of life ending before we were ready.

Grief, in its original meaning, carries the sense of heaviness. Any life transition that moves us out of the life we once knew can carry grief.

This next reflection was inspired by Swoope’s Grief and Coffee Tour, which helped shape the heart behind this gathering:

Grief, as it turns out, is not just about loss. It is also about love. Every grief story, at its core, is a love story.

It does not have an expiration date. It does not follow a timeline. It is not a goal to accomplish. It is more like a language, and learning to live with it takes time.

Grief is like drinking coffee black.

At first, all you taste is the bitterness. It lingers. It asks you to taste what you might rather soften, sweeten, or avoid.

It can be like that too.

We mask it with distractions. We keep busy. We tell ourselves we are fine. We try to move on before we have actually felt what changed.

But coffee is more complex than bitterness alone. If you sit with it long enough, you start to notice the subtleties: warmth, sweetness, depth, and something complex underneath.

The sweetness was always there. You just had to stop running from the bitterness to notice it.

That is grief too.

This gathering exists to create a gentle space to walk, breathe, reflect, and be in community without pressure to perform or share more than feels safe.

No pressure to talk. No fixing. Just space to walk, breathe, and be near others honestly.

• Slow coastal walk
• Coffee or tea
• Gentle reflection prompt
• Optional sharing
• Quiet space by the water
• Low-pressure community

• Warm layers
• Comfortable shoes
• Coffee or tea
• Optional journal
• Blanket or mat if you would like to sit after the walk

That time when something ended and something else began.

P.S. A short video on writing your own story or lament will be shared before the gathering for anyone who wants to reflect beforehand.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Pacifica Stories by Rhema Bethany