Global Grief Network · GGN Original Framework

Ways We Carry Love: Giving and Receiving Support After Loss

An original GGN framework for how people give, receive, and recognize support after loss

A Global Grief Network program

Your progress

Progress is saved in this browser on this device only.

A Welcome from the Global Grief Network

After a death, people often say, "Let me know if you need anything." They mean it. And grieving people often answer, "I'm okay," because they are too tired to know what they need, or too proud to ask, or simply cannot imagine anything that would help. Love is present on both sides, but it does not always find its way across.

The Global Grief Network (GGN) was founded by Tony Lynch so that no one has to grieve alone. Through the GGN app, the Memory Wall, our streaming and broadcasting channels, Grief Talk Magazine, the Grief First Aid course, the GGN Practitioner Directory, and the GGN Educator Directory, we connect grieving people with community, information, and care.

Ways We Carry Love is an original GGN framework about how people give, receive, and recognize support after loss. It names six ways that love is carried in grief, helps you notice which ones matter most to you and to the people around you, and offers practical ways to give support that lands, ask for support you need, and recognize care that arrives in unexpected forms.

An important note before you begin. Ways We Carry Love is an educational framework for everyday relationships. It is not a psychological test, not a personality type, and not mental health treatment or counseling. If you or someone you love is in crisis in the United States, call or text 988. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Modules

About this program

Program Overview

Program name

Ways We Carry Love: Giving and Receiving Support After Loss. A GGN education program with a Certificate of Completion.

The six Carries

At the heart of the program are six ways that love is carried after a loss. We call them the Carries.

Carry	What it carries	What it can look like
Carrying the Name	The memory and identity of the person who died.	Saying their name, sharing memories, marking their birthday, adding to the Memory Wall.
Carrying the Story	The grieving person's experience, told as often as they need.	Listening to the story of the life and the death, again and again, without fixing.
Carrying the Load	The practical weight of daily life after a death.	Meals, errands, paperwork, rides, childcare, yard work, phone calls.
Carrying the Quiet	The grieving person's need to be with others without performing.	Sitting together, a silent walk, being in the same room, no conversation required.
Carrying the Calendar	The long road of grief across months and years.	Remembering hard dates, checking in long after the funeral, showing up in month seven.
Carrying the Open Door	The grieving person's place in community and in the future.	Keeping invitations coming with no pressure, saving their seat, welcoming them back at their own pace.

What this program is

A self-paced course of about 7 hours that helps participants:

Recognize the six Carries in their own experience and in others.
Give support in specific, welcome ways rather than general offers.
Receive and ask for support, even when that feels hard.
Notice support that comes in a different form than expected.
Repair moments when support misses.
Recognize when grief needs more than community support, and connect to professional help or crisis lines.

What this program is not

It is not a personality test or typing system. People are not "a Name person" or "a Load person." Most people value several Carries, and what they need changes over time.
It is not mental health treatment, counseling, or clinical care.
It is not a substitute for professional help when grief is overwhelming or safety is at risk.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

Describe each of the six Carries and give examples of each.
Explain why support needs differ between people and change over time.
Turn general offers of help into specific, easy-to-accept offers.
Support Love That Stays by carrying the name and the story of the person who died.
Plan long-term support across the calendar of grief, and keep the door open without pressure.
Identify personal barriers to receiving support, and practice asking for help.
Recognize support that arrives in unfamiliar forms, and repair support that misses.
Know when to encourage professional help and how to reach 988 and 911.

Who This Program Is For

Grieving people who want words for what helps and what does not.
Families, friends, neighbors, and coworkers of grieving people.
Faith communities, community groups, and volunteers.
Anyone who has ever wondered, "What do I say? What do I do?"

There are no prerequisites.

Format and Time

Module	Title	Time
1	Love Keeps Moving: The Ways We Carry Love Framework	1 hour
2	Carrying the Name and the Story	1 hour
3	Carrying the Load and the Quiet	1 hour
4	Carrying the Calendar and the Open Door	1 hour
5	Receiving: Letting Love In	1 hour
6	Recognizing and Repairing: When Carries Miss	1 hour
	Final assessment	0.5 hours
	Total	About 7 hours

How to Use This Handbook

Each module has objectives, a lesson, a GGN practice, a fictional story, reflection prompts, and a quiz. Answers with explanations appear in the appendix. The online course site includes the same content, interactive quizzes, and a progress tracker saved on your device.

Care while learning. Thinking about how you have been supported, or not supported, can bring up strong feelings. You can pause at any time. If you feel unsafe or are thinking about harming yourself, in the United States call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911.