Articles

by Lisa K. Boehmhttps://www.lisakboehm.com My daughter Katie and me on our last family holiday   You were only 17 years old with a lifetime of possibilities ahead of you, Katie. The pain of losing you was unbearable in the beginning; my heart was shattered into a million pieces and and my mind was consumed with grief. How could this have happened? Why did it have to happen to you, my sweet girl? As I struggled to come to terms with my...

by Maria Kubitzhttps://www.aliveinmemory.org For nine months you and I were inseparable. Our bodies and souls intertwined. Your life began its long journey as you grew inside me. And as you grew, so did my profound new sense of purpose. A mother’s purpose. On that wondrous day you were born, you left everything you knew behind. You entered this unfamiliar, bright new world and cried out; desperately searching for a familiar voice and a comforting touch. You quickly found your way to...

by Angela Millerhttps://stillstandingmag.com Photo Credit: Angela Miller This morning as I was drying my hair I felt the all-too-familiar feeling of my heart lurching up into my throat.  Anxiety— it’s as normal to me now as breathing. My littlest guy slept all night without a peep.  I, of course, had to go in three (or maybe more) times between the hours of 7am and 8am.  Just to make sure his little chest was moving up and down, breathing in and out,...

by Deb Del Vecchio-Scully, LPC, NCC, CMHShttps://www.goodtherapy.org The death of a parent is a loss like no other. Our relationships with our parents shape the fiber of who we are. Without them in our lives, a significant piece of our identity may irrevocably change. When unresolved feelings or even estrangement remains, the loss of one’s parents can be even more complicated. Becoming an adult orphan can be one of the hardest life transitions a person can experience. For me, the loss of my dad felt...

borrowed from www.griefincommon.com After the loss of a parent, especially one who may have lived to a more advanced age, there often follows predictable attempts at comfort: “He lived a good life” or “It’s the natural order of things” or, “You were lucky to have him for so long”. I was guilty of this. In my early days of making phone calls as a bereavement coordinator, I’ll admit to creating expectations of how the griever on the other end of the phone would respond, based on the...

by Eleanor Haleyhttps://whatsyourgrief.com/grief-support-systems/ Nothing puts a person’s support system to the test quite like a crisis. When the clouds of hardship dull the glare of more happy and carefree times, a person often sees their support system accurately for the very first time. For some people, this is a reassuring experience, as they find their support system is similar to what they had assumed it would be. For others, it's a bit, shall we say, disconcerting. Many grieving people find that...

by Donna Rotherthttp://seeingthestrals.com/?p=1694 “I think about calling a friend sometimes, but I’m not sure anyone wants to spend time with me right now.” “My coworkers look nervous when they ask me how I’m doing.” “My family was really supportive at the beginning, but now they don’t even mention the baby and what happened.” Humans are social creatures.  We need each other.  We mingle in all kinds of family and work groups and have developed complex interdependent systems to take care of...

by Julie Gentzhttps://timeinabottle.blog We all have to pull the cord and deploy our parachute sometimes to help us make safe landings when we face struggles and trials in life. When that moment comes, it’s important to have people in our lives that “pack our parachute” — the people who help us make it through tough times in so many unsung ways. Life is busy and we don’t often stop to think about who those people are or the little things...

by Ruel I'm waking up my mindI'm just trying to kill the silenceI'm ripping off the blindsI'm just trying to let some light inBut I've been on the roadI've been missing homeSee it on my phoneLet the world back home keep spinning round without meI'm waking up my mindI'm ripping off the blindsOh ITry to be happy but it's hard sometimesBut life just seems to happen right before my eyesCause I feel like I'm not thereCause my head is up...

by Kerry Phillipshttps://youngwidowedanddating.com First, and most importantly, you’ll get through it.  I can’t promise your day won’t be filled with tears, a scream or two, or crying in the shower. But, I promise you can and will make it through.  On a day that symbolizes love – especially love between couples and spouses – it’s hard not to get caught up in the “what-ifs.” What would life look like if your loved one were still here? What would you have...

by Julie Gentzhttps://timeinabottle.blog ” . . . and now, I’m glad I didn’t know the way it all would end, the way it all would go. Our lives are better left to chance. I could have missed the pain, but I’d have had to miss The Dance.” The Dance by Garth Brooks. My favorite Valentine didn’t come from a store. It came straight from the heart. When we were dating, I told my late husband that he would never have to worry...

by Julie Gentzhttps://timeinabottle.blog It is only three days away from a new year: 365 days of new adventures, new possibilities, new hurts, and new hopes. This morning I got up and thought, “I’ll just take a quick look at my Facebook page.” (LOL . . . this never turns out to be anything even remotely close to “quick”!) The very first thing I saw was a post from one of the many wonderful friends I have made through sites I belong to...