Grieving the loss of my dad in March. My husband lost his faith a year ago. How do I deal with?

First, I'm so very sorry for your loss. Losing a parent is one of the hardest things you can ever go through. It's important for you to know there is no shelf life on grief. At first, it hits you in waves of shock and sadness, then comes missing being able to talk to your dad. We wish we had one more day, and if we did, what would we do or say with our loved one? Loss affects every area of your life, and a powerful loss like you've experienced needs to be talked about. We go through what are called grief stages:

1) Denial (disbelief that our loved one has passed)

2) Anger (sometimes at our loved one, a person involved in the death, or at God)

3) Bargaining (wrestling with our desire to still have time with our loved one)

4) Depression (the loss sinks in and sadness starts to affect our life)

5) Acceptance (accepting the loss and learning new ways to live without our loved one, celebrating their life and finding meaning in it)

Your loss is still very raw, only a few months ago. We can talk about whatever you'd like. Some examples of what we can discuss include: the death itself, how it affects you, how it affects your family, important things you want to remember about your father's life, the things you miss about him, what you believe happens to a person with they die, any times when you may have felt him near or experienced any coincidences that have to do with him after his death, etc. It's your therapy, so you run the show. It's my job to help you process your feelings.

If you are interested in Christian counseling, I would be happy to offer it. It sounds like it bothers you that you cannot talk to your husband about your faith because he may not want to listen. My suggestion is to pray for him and let God do his good work in your husband's life. When we experience unexpected blessings or miracles, it can be a huge wake-up call.