Memorial Day Weekend Workshop at TAPS National Military Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp - Group I

May 25 -- 27, 2018; Washington, D.C.

In collaboration with Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors

FOR THE 2018 MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, WRITES OF PASSAGE TRAVELED TO WASHINGTON, D.C. TO WORK WITH THE TRAGEDY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR SURVIVORS (TAPS) DURING THEIR NATIONAL MILITARY SURVIVOR SEMINAR AND GOOD GRIEF CAMP. THE WORKSHOP WAS RUN WITH TWO GROUPS, WITH A TOTAL PARTICIPANT COUNT OF 100 PEOPLE. THE PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE WORKSHOP INCLUDED THE RELATIVES OF OUR FALLEN HEROES AND THEIR MENTORS WHO ARE CURRENTLY ENLISTED IN THE MILITARY. BELOW ARE THE CURATED PAINTINGS AND THEIR RESPONSES.

"After my dad died, my life felt the way that Stormy Coast Scene after a Shipwreck looks. I felt stranded, alone, helpless, and doomed. Everything looked and felt dark and as if there was no light or end in sight. This painting captures that darkness that filled and literally clouded my mind. My thoughts and actions were like the waves pounding against the huge rocks. Everything was a reminder of his death. Whenever I thought about it, that ship felt like it was crashing again and again. In the painting, I would identify myself as the man who is still in the water. You don't know if he is going to make it and that is why it is like me. I didn't know if I could get out the upsetting grief. Like in the painting, I was drowning in this grief until someone reached out their hands and I accepted their help. For a long time, I refused to accept the help my friends, family, and TAPS were offering me. Once I realized that they were there to help me, things began to feel hopeful. This picture makes me thankful for the help and comfort that others gave me and makes me want to help others with similar experiences."

"Allée of Chestnut Trees is peaceful. It shows a place of reflecting, dreaming, evaluating, and praying. As I look at Stormy Coast Scene after a Shipwreck, it is relieving to see someone helping the shipwreck. We all need people in life to help us get back up. I want to learn to ask and receive help but to also be willing to offer help where I can. The Course of Empire tells a story that can be applied to the stages of life: birth or dawn, young adulthood or morning, adulthood or noon, chaos and destruction or afternoon, and rebuilding or nightfall. Most of the pictures we looked at today have nature in the background or the foregrounds. I am reminded of when I needed help. In reality I am often reluctant to ask for help. It is something I am learning to be better at. I often want to tackle and handle everything, especially my grief, on my own. My mom one said that as long as she is here, she will always help me, I just have to ask for it. She is like the person in Stormy Coast Scene after a Shipwreck with open arms."

"The painting that I found most interesting was Fishermen at Sea by J.M.W. Turner. I was filled with emotions of hope and the survivor spirit. I relate to this painting because of the story it tells about being strong and surviving through rough times. It is my favorite painting because it is my life. The constant battle between hope and sorrow describes me perfectly."

"I really like The Course of Empire because it tells about before, during, and after life. The first part of the painting is about the beginning of nature, the second tells us about the foundations of nature. The third part is about making nature home, the fourth part shows us the battle between man and mother nature, and the last painting shows that nature always wins because it is powerful. This painting brings up many of my emotions and vulnerability surround the family's loss and grief because it shows just how easily something is destroyed. For the greater part of my life I was told I needed to be excellent in everything. If I wasn't absolutely perfect, I was convinced that I would be a failure and a disgusting mistake. In The Course of Empire, something perfect and beautiful is built, but one mistake makes it all fall down to ruins."

"The Course of Empire speaks to everyone's experiences in life. The painting shows the course of a day that can be translated to the course of one's life. We start our life as the dawn and end with the coming of night. The daytime is filled with a lot of struggle and pain. No matter what happens, in the end, nature will continue to exist and have total control. Now that I know this, I feel more relaxed and a sense of freedom. There are things that can't upset me anymore because they are out of my control. There is peace in that."

"The Course of Empire by Thomas Cole piqued my interest as it shows an evolution. An area goes from nothing to an empire and then falls to ruins. However, the ruins can also be a new beginning. It brings hope as things are building and a sense of sadness at the end. Sad because of the loss and destruction. But there is hope because the world can start fresh in the coming day. Allée of Chestnut Trees is my favorite of all these paintings. It is a calming scene and it takes place in Paris, far from me and my remote world. The trees take me to a serene spot in my mind. It is a calming painting. I envision myself just relaxing in a park with my family enjoying watching people walk by. I like seeing other people feel happy. Anyone looking at all of these paintings will see the painting in general, but the emotions and meanings will be different for everyone because we all have different experiences and been on different journeys. Thus, no one interprets these images and themes the same. Like people, there are similarities, but nothing is exactly the same."

"The painting that impacted me the most was Stormy Coast Scene after a Shipwreck. What I see in this painting was that the person helping most likely has been through storms and experiences like this one before. He knows what its like to go through rough times. People with similar experiences can help you better because they know what you need and why you need it."

"I like Allée of Chestnut Trees by Alfred Sisley. This painting was of interest to me because of its time period and era. The colors and historical context play a role in my attitude towards the painting. The painting makes me feel relaxed and at peace. I live in northern Virginia where life is very chaotic and stressful. This is a painting I like because I love the thought of getting away to the country. I also like the water and bright blue sky. Blue and green are my favorite colors and I love the outdoors. I like art that has specific historical contexts that are distant from the circumstances of my life."

Fishermen at Sea, J. M. W. Turner

The Scream, Edvard Munch

Stormy Coast Scene after a Shipwreck, Unknown

The Course of Empire, Thomas Cole

Allée of Chestnut Trees, Alfred Sisley