LEADER 04169cam a2200421Ia 4500001 30409 005 20240621143719.0 008 980910s1997 xx r 000 0 eng d 035 (OCoLC)39848595 035 30409 049 LHMA 040 LHM |beng |erda |cLHM 090 DK504.53 |b.Z544 1997 100 1 Ziedonis, Ruth Sonia. 245 12 A pastoral approach for the journey of healing and wholeness through sharing one's Latvian grief story / |cby Ruth Sonia Ziedonis. 264 1 [Place of publication not identified] : |b[publisher not identified], |c1997. 300 v, 216 pages 336 text |btxt |2rdacontent 337 unmediated |bn |2rdamedia 338 volume |bnc |2rdacarrier 502 Thesis (D. Min.)--Claremont School of Theology, 1997. 504 Includes bibliographical references (pages 208-216). 505 2 The early history of Latvia with suffering and hope -- The later history of Latvia with trauma and healing -- Latvia's way to independence with responsibility -- The stages and process of loss and grief -- Theology and storytelling within the community. 520 Through the process of sharing one's grief and loss story, healing and wholeness occur. The writer submits that to understand the depth of suffering and hope within the grief stories of Latvian immigrant parishioners, one must explore the history of the Latvian people as well. The project reflects upon the grief stories of the writer's Latvian immigrant parishioners; elaborates on some of the history of Latvia, paying special attention to the trauma of war and the process of healing from post-traumatic stress disorder; and analyzes difficulties within present independent Latvia. The project also focuses on the significance of theology and storytelling within the community. As a pastor of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church, the writer has made many pastoral visits to the elderly in their homes, nursing homes, and hospitals, and has recognized that many parishioners struggle with heavy issues of grief and loss. In life-changing events, grief is a natural, highly personal process that can lead to emotional and spiritual healing and personal growth. The purpose of this project was to analyze the grief stories of parishioners in relation to Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's stages of grief. Providing a safe and stable environment for the parishioners to share their grief stories helped many of them to move through the five Kubler-Ross stages--denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance--in dealing with their grief. Others became locked in anger or depression, or even died in the midst of anger or depression. Even fifty years since the war and their immigration, some elderly parishioners are afraid to venture outside their immediate Latvian community to accept the hand of their next-door neighbor or people of other cultures. Through the pastoral approach of giving compassion and encouragement, parishioners have experienced healing. This project concludes with a theological analysis of the acts of storytelling, confession, and forgiveness. Through God's grace, the parishioners have responded in faith within their Latvian community, by forgiving themselves and others, and experiencing healing and wholeness through telling their grief stories. 530 Electronic version(s) |bavailable internally at USHMM. 533 Photocopy. |bAnn Arbor, Mich. : |cUMI Dissertation Services, |d1997. |e22 cm. 590 Dissertations and Theses 591 Record updated by Marcive processing 21 June 2024 651 0 Latvia |xHistory |y20th century |xPsychological aspects. 650 0 World War, 1939-1945 |zLatvia |xPsychological aspects. 650 0 Grief |xPsychological aspects. 650 0 Storytelling |xPsychological aspects. 650 0 Storytelling |xReligious aspects. 856 41 |uhttp://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=739931511&sid=25&Fmt=6&clientId=54617&RQT=309&VName=PQD |zElectronic version from ProQuest 956 41 |u http://dc.ushmm.org/library/bib30409/9732821.pdf |z Hosted by USHMM. 852 0 |bstacks |hDK504.53 .Z544 1997 852 |bwww 852 |bebook