COMPANIONS
Last year was brutal for many of us. Someone we care about died, or we had to muddle through another year, peppered with dates of reminders: the "companions" of reminders and…
War and Unrest
As I write this, the battle continues in the Middle East. I cannot begin to understand the why's of war and unrest. And any time there is loss, sorrow, and…
SOMETHING HAD TO GIVE
When my friend Cora attended her first grief group meeting, she entered with long-felt emotions of dread and anxiety. She had no idea what to expect from these folks, and…
THE FORGOTTEN LOSS
The older we get, the more we experience death and loss. As children, the most common death we may go through is the that of grandparents; then as we grow…
The Dreaded Day
As the dreaded day grows closer, I am struck by the thought that it never feels the same from year to year. I always enter the month with added anxiety…
IMPACT OTHERS
He stood there, nervous and unsure of what would happen next. My friend, Chris, had just given a speech about how he contends with the loss of his wife, and…
NOT SOMETHING WE CAN FIX
I’ve had several broken bones in my 54 years of life, and most of them, one could recognize with the naked eye. I had a cast, or tape on my…
THE WEIGHT OF GRIEF
Even though the weight of my grief is present all the time, it can feel like others around me don’t realize this, which is a difficult reality to acknowledge. I…
I WANT MORE!
Just like a spoiled child, I screamed those words into the universe, not sure if anyone, including God was listening. It had been a trying day, one filled with so many…
Music and Grief
Music can be an important part of our grief journey. Music and singing have been central to my being since I can remember. My sister and I grew up singing…