Articles

by Karen Nicolahttps://comfortfortheday.com It’s Fall.  Excuse me for stating the obvious. But sometimes our grief is not as obvious to others when the season is full of vibrancy and celebrated change.  Due to our loss we are trying desperately to adjust to changes we never signed up for.  If anyone is a little too cheery, we might find ourselves slinking back into our shadows, trying to self-soothe the pain.  When you can’t see the colors So what does the Fall...

by Aimeewww.intheirfootsteps.net Some of my favorite memories come from the apple-baking days I shared with my mom and dad. Every fall, when the apple trees in our yard were bursting with fruit, it was like a family signal: time to roll up our sleeves and face the yearly apple abundance. We always had far more apples than we could ever use, so we turned it into a creative challenge. If it could be made from apples, we gave it a...

by Maria KubitzThe Wound Time Won't Heal - Alive in Memory We’ve all heard it. “Time heals all wounds,” sounds incredibly hopeful for someone who’s drowning in grief. Except when time doesn’t heal your wound. Later this year will mark eight years since my 4-year-old daughter, Margareta, died. She died exactly 29 days after her fourth birthday. That means we had 1,489 glorious days to spend with her — the only daughter in a family full of boys. One of my grandmothers died...

by the Goo Goo Dolls And even though the moment passed me byI still can't turn awayCause all the dreams you never thought you'd loseGot tossed along the wayAnd letters that you never meant to sendGet lost or thrown awayAnd now we're grown-up orphansThat never knew their namesWe don't belong to no one, that's a shameYou could hide beside meMaybe for a whileAnd I won't tell no one your nameAnd I won't tell 'em your nameAnd scars are souvenirs you...

by Sarah Gormleyborrowed from HuffPost We didn’t know Mom was going to die two days later. “Girls, get in here so I can get my hands on you,” she said, summoning my college pals into bed with her. She had managed one of her signature Susan Gormley lines, even with the oxygen tube that never stayed in place across her face. She constantly fidgeted with it and kept asking the nurse if she could “take the damn thing out,” as if...

by Litsa Williamswhatsyourgrief.com In 1800, nearly half of all children died before age 5.Let that sink in for a moment. I remember when I first processed that fact. It was at a Compassionate Friends conference in 2014. A bereaved mom was speaking about the isolation of losing a child. She described years of feeling as though no one understood her grief, calling it a death “out of order.” She lived in a fog of “why me.” Then, while researching an...

by Angela Millerhttps://stillstandingmag.com I love this picture. I hate this picture. It doesn’t happen as often as it once did, that feeling that someone is missing. So now when it does, it blindsides me. There are five. There should be six. Related: To The Kindergarten Teacher Who Is Missing One, There should be another boy, just bigger than the smallest. Would his hair be another shade of brown like the older four? Or would he have surprised us the way the...

by Sleeping With Sirens Rainy days, rainy days, won't you go awayI said I don't know why, don't know why, I've been this feeling this wayAnd I look in the mirror, I don't like what I seeAnd I don't like the person staring right back at meBut I gotta get myself together before I get weakIt's okay, show them who you areEverybody hurts, everybody's got scarsIt's okay, standing in the darkShine a little light from the hole in my, hole...

by Litsa Williamshttps://whatsyourgrief.com Holiday grief triggers are everywhere, we don't have to tell you that. Opening that box of decorations is difficult enough. If you felt some combination of overwhelm, tears, nausea, and numbness when you found your deceased family member's Christmas stocking, you're not alone. It is one of those intense reminders of your loved one's absence. And then you're left with the flood of questions: what do I do with my a dead loved one's stocking? Is it okay to hang...

by Julie Gentzhttps://timeinabottle.blog I don’t know about you, but the build up to Christmas Day has been a tough one this year. The closer it got to the day, the harder it was to continue faking that “jolly Christmas spirit” that is expected of everyone, unfairly, even for those of us who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Bear with me while I give you a little background to my train of thought behind my post today. When...

by Maria Kubitzhttps://www.aliveinmemory.org “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” It’s a catchy tune and plays on heavy rotation during December. Sparkling lights and decorations adorn many houses and stores. Holiday advertisements, shows, and songs saturate the airwaves. Cards from relatives, friends and vendors arrive day after day in the mail. Party invitations are sure to follow. You can’t help but see the joy and excitement in the faces of children and adults alike. The problem is, there are a...

by Lisa K. Boehmhttps://www.griefsupportformoms.com This time of year can be one of the hardest for those who have lost a child. How can we be thankful when there is a huge void in our family, empty chair at the table, and a gaping wound in our heart. We miss what once was: a happy, healthy family unit, wonderful family memories, special traditions that we created together and favourite foods that brought joy. These are called secondary losses. Each of those things...