Griefwalker (2008) User Reviews

Thank you my elders for being there, although I never met you

[cihatbakir · 10/10 · 9 September 2019]

Dear Stephen usta ve Tim abi,

We watched this documentary after digging the grave for our cat Bolt and burrying him. I had already been reading Die Wise and I knew we had to watch this. Today.

Thank you my elders for being there, although we never met you. Thank you for who you are, how you have lived and what you have lived through. Thank you for your wisdom and thank you for sharing it. Thank you for helping us and guiding us.

Bolt was the most tremendous cat and we're deeply thankful to have had him in our lives for the year and a half that he was alive on this planet. A sudden but not untimely death. For his love had filled our hearts to the brim. Where both of us feel like he gave us love and joy worth a decade. So intense was his presence. Farewell my little lion. You will remain in my heart as a dearly, dearly loved one until it is also my time and turn to die.

To all the parents who have had to burry their children, I commend your strength, I feel for you and I wish on you that "your grief and your ability to love life are clinking their glasses and toasting you" for mine is, even if at times it feels like grlef is clinking too hard and the cups won't stand.

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"Grief is not a feeling. Grief's not how you feel. Grief's what you do. Grief is a skill. And the twin of grief as a skill of life is the skill of being able to praise or love life, which means wherever you find one, authentically done, the other is very close at hand: grief and the praise of life, side by side, the honored guests, room at the head table, and they're toasting you, grief and the ability to love life, they're clinking their glasses and toasting the living, so here's to your health. Until the time comes we come to get you, live well."

------- Stephen Jenkinson

Grief as a skill of life

[maryannfarley · 10/10 · 11 October 2021]

I have a serious blood clotting disorder that has nearly nailed me a few times and causes chronic, sometimes debilitating pain. I'm older now and in the most exciting phase of my songwriting, which I don't want to end. I never thought I would feel this way.

But I believe I do because I did a blog for a few years that helped me accept that this is my life. And so I've been able to compartmentalize the physical suffering, tipping my hat to it, but I've stopped fighting it. As a result, joy has returned, which I never ever expected.

He's right that grief is a way of being, if I remember his words correctly. I had to mourn the loss of my health. And before my mom, my soul mate in this life, died in 2018, I was grieving her too in the years leading up to her death as I knew it was coming. As a result, I never missed an opportunity to spend time with her. I would even cry with her about it (in the midst of our fun) and she would comfort me, saying "I will always be with you."

I'm so profoundly grateful I lived with that awareness. And I'm so grateful that I'm aware that my own time here is sketchy. I'm recording my songs with a lot less perfectionism, finally understanding how perfect is the enemy of good enough.

So in that sense my blood illness is a blessing. Kudos to Jenkinson for helping people feel the beauty of death and how it can invigorate and deepen your experience of life. When you let that happen, everything seems so very poignant, with the smallest thing often bringing tears, not of sadness, but of a pained type of beauty.

Great premise for a show, but poor execution

[montgomerynj · 2/10 · 27 December 2021]

I watched this show from start to end and found many of the people interviewed to be genuine and their end of life scenarios to be very emotional and thought provoking. The problem I had was the haphazard interviews of Mr. Jenkinson, who always said very bizarre and nonsensical things. It was as if he always felt like he needed to answer every question with some deeply wise answer but most of this ideas made no sense and were deeply disappointing given his credentials. A child born with an ailment is coming from a parent's wrongdoing? How well remaining family members do after someone's passing will depend only on how bravely that person faced death? Very random, ridiculous ideas that he seemed to be making up as he was speaking. I honestly stopped respecting his opinions about 10 minutes into the movie and he never redeemed himself throughout the rest of the film.

What a load of garbage and BS

[NickGepetto · 1/10 · 6 July 2022]

I always like to listen to all sides of any issue or discussion. This fakeumentary and ramblings of self proclaimed "Expert on Death(r)" Stephen Jenkinson just made my blood boil. I thought it was going to be something monumental so I watched it with 10 people from all different beliefs and ages. Within 15 minutes, we were pausing the video to discuss what he said and many times truly rolling with laughter. Stephen Jenkinson just speaks in generalities and "advanced speak" where you are supposed to say, "Oh, that's just so deep. I'm not sure what he said but I'm sure if I was smarter, I'd think it was great." He talks about his children dying and how he's not going to be there to see them trough. And? Is that deep? No. It's common sense. Pure unadulterated drivel and double speak. I strongly suggest you watch it just for the laughs!