Death of a Child

Whispers of Love, Signs of Hope

If you have lost someone close to you and suffer with that loss, you may have wished for, prayed for, expected and or anticipated some sort of supernatural experience that would validate your belief that there truly is life after death.  I believe that somehow our loved one who has moved on in spirit can communicate to us in some form or fashion, and that it can bring us a peace that can be found no other way.  I believe we live in one sphere of existence, our departed loved one lives in another, but we can meet at the […]

Open to Hope

Poem: We Promise to Remember

Dear Children,    We promise to remember your eyes so blue The joy in your faces that remained so true. Your hair so blond, it seemed almost white The way you hid behind your parents, acting so shy.   We promise to remember your bashful grins and quiet chatter The way you spoke to each other, as if no one else mattered. The way you loved each member of your family With lots of hugs and kisses; the way it should be.   We promise to remember that you’re with Jesus now. Two perfect angels, with wings and with crowns. The three of […]

Your Grief

Letting Go and Moving Forward

Let’s face it: we all have negative or bad experiences that we just cannot seem to get past. There are just certain things, that when remembered, always cause anxiety and anger to build up inside us. And we have to admit that sometimes we just don’t want to let go of these negative emotions and memories. Why? Do we want to feel like we’re the victim? Do we need to even the score before we let go? The truth is, holding on to negative emotions, feelings, thoughts, or experiences drag us down. It drags us down mentally, emotionally, and sometimes, […]

Death of a Child

The Year of Firsts

Imagine a young son who has struggled his whole life with pain and illness. His parents have cared for his physical needs and felt responsible for his emotional well-being. Now, imagine they are witnessing their twenty-five-year-old son die from a bullet by his own hand. That profound moment began our yearlong of firsts. I know my husband had his own list of firsts, but mine began with disbelief the morning before Saint Patrick’s Day. Each reminder of Joshua not being there was gut wrenching throughout that first year, but there was grace, too, which I never expected. Until Easter, my […]

Death of a Parent

New Calling: Reaching Out to Others Through Writing

When I was young, my life’s calling was softly introduced to me. It may not have been a path I would have chosen as an adult or of my own desire, but it changed me and made me who I am today. I guess my mother’s illness and death deeply impacted my life. I never forgot the realm of devastation or the pain it caused me as my days unfolded without her. I had a strong inner impulse toward my purpose. My heart ached for those who faced similar circumstances. I would reach out to people I knew or didn’t […]

Death of a Parent

Can I Believe My Mother is in Heaven?

I love going to psychics. I’m not sure if it’s my impetuous nature to know what is to come, the comforting assertions like “Great fortune is headed your way” or its mother-memory connection. I became loosely associated with the magic of clairvoyance at age 5. I waited in the reception area while my mother traveled through past lives and peered into her future. These days I’m allowed to partake in the mysticism myself.  Turning the corner on six years of motherlessness, I strolled through the beaded door of a Hyannis psychic on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Once inside the inconspicuous […]

Children & Teens, Death of a Parent

When Mom Dies: A Big Sister Writes to Her Little Sister

(This piece is an excerpt from a longer work entitled Mind Pictures)  The days in the hospital right before our mom died are mostly a blur. I remember that you and Dad and I sat by her bed as long as we were allowed. I remember the heart monitor and the unsettling, uncertain blips on that glowing metal screen that were the external reminders of mama’s struggling heart. I remember the day that her heart stopped.  But I recall with the most clarity an hour when she and I were alone in her hospital room.  Mom had been very weak […]