For many of us, the holiday season is heavy with mourning for those we lost in 2022. This episode of St. Louis on the Air commemorates their stories, including the legacies of St. Louisans like Cherokee Street entrepreneur Minerva Lopez Montaigne, former state Rep. Cora Faith Walker and musician Patrick Haggerty.
We also reflect on the lives we lost to gun violence, including those of health teacher and cross-country coach Jean Kuzcka and sophomore Alexzandria Bell, who were killed in a mass shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in October.
To everyone who will be missing someone at the table this holiday season, we, the St. Louis on the Air team, extend our hearts to you. You are not alone, and it’s OK to not be OK.
As grief educator Eileen Wolfington shared with us earlier this year, grief is an ongoing journey. To help ease pain along the way, she suggests finding a way to practice honoring your loved ones who have died.
“Send them love, light a candle, prepare some type of ritual, or find someone that can work with you so that you can feel that you're there,” she said. “It's the essence of the love that you had for them, because grief will transform into love.”
Hear the entire tribute by listening to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or by clicking the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Avery Rogers is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
