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 [...]
Found 22 results
How Were the Holidays for You?
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January 7, 2011
1 Response
Christmas is over; thank God for small miracles. When one has suffered the physical loss of someone in their lives, the holidays, especially Christmas, can be extremely difficult and challenging. When that loss in your life is a child, it can change how one experiences and processes the holidays forever. As many bereaved know, our [...]
Namaste, Elizabeth Edwards
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December 12, 2010
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I first really comprehended the seduction of collective grief thirty years ago when John Lennon was murdered in 1980. In fact, as I write these words it is December 8, 2010, thirty years to the day that John Lennon was senselessly murdered. I was shocked and stunned when I heard the news. Throughout the day [...]
Ghosts of Halloween
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October 29, 2010
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October 31st is Halloween, one of our nation’s most popular holidays. Over 67% of American households polled by an American Express in a 2009 survey replied that indeed Halloween has surpassed Christmas as a family’s favorite holiday period. During the month of October, Americans spend almost $2 billion on candy purchased for Halloween night. Despite [...]
Traveling to Planet Grief and Back
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July 17, 2010
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I am continually amazed at the choreography of the dance that I experience at The Compassionate Friends national conference, and the huge impact is has on my body, mind and spirit when I walk off the dance floor and return home. From spending 4 or 5 days on “planet grief,” we return home to the [...]
Living the Loss on Father’s Day
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June 20, 2010
1 Response
The dogs were barking strangely one early morning in July of 1970; I was 15 years old. I knew someone had probably driven up our driveway and was taking their time to come to the door, which was driving the dogs nuts. I was up early to get ready to bring my dog to the [...]
An Epiphany in Old San Juan
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March 28, 2010
1 Response
Puerto Rico is the best kept secret in the world and where Bienvenidos truly means “welcome” in every sense of the word. The Puerto Rican people are warm, friendly and passionate. They not only embrace you with their arms and generous kisses, but with their compassionate heart. The island is only 35 miles wide by [...]
Great Movies Send Message that Joy Returns
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February 22, 2010
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Oh……. we’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz …Those words and melody always bring to mind one of my favorite movies. Maybe it was gathering around the television with mismatched Tupperware bowls of popcorn and a cold bottle of Coke (my mother had her own “hands off” stash of Tab). We [...]
Film Review: The Lovely Bones
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February 10, 2010
2 Responses
I know of two books published in 2002 that dealt with the death a child in a young family’s life. In the stories, the children are different in ages and gender, the cause of death is different, the grieving process is different; one book is fiction, the other a true story. In both books, I [...]
Letter to a Son, Decades After His Death
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November 30, 2009
4 Responses
Dear Kelly, November 23, 2009 I was going to name you Connor but decided on Kelly, another good Irish name… gosh that was 31 years ago…wow…now we are thinking about baby names again. We had named your sister Meagan, who is now due to have her second child at any moment. You left us, [...]
The Quantum Physics of Giving
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November 30, 2009
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St. Frances of Assisi said: it is in giving that you receive, it is in healing that you are healed. I do not care what your religious background or belief system is, this 13th century Catholic monk hit it straight on the head. Nothing is more healing to our aching heart and soul then reaching [...]
Poem: God’s Greatest Work of Art
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October 7, 2009
2 Responses
If a picture is worth a thousand words And nothing worthwhile is ever lost Then what is the value of memories For those who paid the highest cost? When a parent loses a child Words become a useless tool There is nothing to be said to undo the hurt And feeble attempts are only cruel. [...]
A Stir in the Heavens: Just Say No to Letting Go
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September 29, 2009
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Yes, we are shaking up the status quo of grieving in this country. We are the grief stricken, we are the broken hearted, we are the disenchanted, and we are the anguished. We are the bereaved parent; we are the many who are now saying No to letting go. From the Viet Nam war to [...]
Poem: God’s Greatest Work of Art
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September 8, 2009
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God’s Greatest Work of Art If a picture is worth a thousand words And nothing worthwhile is ever lost Then what is the value of memories For those who paid the highest cost? When a parent loses a child Words become a useless tool There is nothing to be said to undo the hurt And [...]
Celebrity Deaths Create ‘Spectacular’ Grief
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June 27, 2009
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By Mitch Carmody – When I hear of the death of a high profile individual, it always turns my head. But do I mourn?? Do I lament? Do I cry in public?? In most cases, I do not. I am far enough detached from the individual that I do not personally lament the loss. The [...]
Return to Ensenada: A Father’s Journey Two Decades Later
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June 21, 2009
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On December 1, 1987, life as I knew it ceased to exist. I watched helplessly as my 9-year-old son’s tired and cancer ravaged body slowly released his spirit. I saw his partially paralyzed face find its proper form and like the graceful arch of a feather, his smile returned once more. His half slit eyes, [...]
Poem: This Memorial Day
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May 24, 2009
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By Mitch Carmody – Do not bring flowers to my grave and weep I did not die I do not sleep Lament not at my passing with tears upon my stone I do not lay beneath the sod and you are not alone Bouquets of flowers will not bring me back my voice cannot be [...]
Surviving Child Demonstrates Meaning of Easter
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April 9, 2009
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By Mitch Carmody – In December of 1987, our 9-year-old son, Kelly James, died following two arduous years of fighting brain cancer. That ensuing Christmas, we were so numb in our grief that much of it is now a faded memory. But that following Easter, we received a gift, a gift that I share it [...]
Film Review: Rumors of Angels
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March 12, 2009
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Reviewed by Mitch Carmody – If I were to recommend a movie to someone who is processing their loss, I would suggest “Rumors of Angels” with Vanessa Redgrave. This movie is based on the book, “Thy Son Liveth: Message From a Soldier to His Mother,” by Grace Duffie Boylan. The story revolves around a young [...]
Poem: For Barbara, On Valentine’s Day, After the Death of Our Son
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February 3, 2009
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By Mitch Carmody – Our son Kelly James was diagnosed with a brain tumor in February of 1986, and our world changed forever. We did everything we could do medically, holistically and spiritually to save our son. Although we experienced a healing, we learned a healing is not always a cure. He died 12-1-1987, two [...]
Be Intentional About Reaching Out
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January 5, 2009
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By Mitch Carmody – My resolution for the year ahead is to practice one element of what I call Proactive Grieving. That element is being intentional; to reach out with some sort of communication that recognizes a special day for someone who has suffered a loss. Certain calendar days throughout the year are very significant [...]
Grief in the New Millennium
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September 30, 2008
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By Mitch Carmody – We are now closing in on the end of the first decade of the new millennium. Growing up, most of us baby boomers remember reading about Haley’s Comet, and we hoped to see it zoom across the night sky as an adult. When we were kids, we hadn’t seen a man [...]
