Balloon Releases are a way that Communities Express Grief

I once assisted a family after the loss of a loved one to overdose. At the time, the cause of death was unknown and no funeral had been arranged. Swelled with emotion and nowhere to put it, the day after the death we met in a grass field near his childhood home with balloons and his favorite liquor.

As each balloon rose high above our heads, it became clear to me that they were transforming the family’s grief into something tangible. For one moment, those balloons symbolized the transition of his spirit, each carrying the pain of the hand that held onto and released it.

For one moment, that grief belonged to all of us.

As of Aug. 1, Louisiana has prohibited the release of more than 12 helium balloons at once under Act 196. The law is intended to reduce environmental harm, but raises a question that has received far less attention: How will this policy impact one of the few affordable ways families have left to mourn together?

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