Found 25 results
AmyJo Mattheis has walked with thousands through the grief of losing a loved one. With the recent death of her father, she has heard the numbing whisper insisting “he’ll come back.” A former pastor, AmyJo is university professor, writer, life Continue reading
Dr. Coy Cross II is a retired historian with many published works to his credit, but his greatest achievement in life may be his role as a caregiver to his wife Carol, as she struggled with ovarian cancer. Coy’s book, Continue reading
On this show Dr. Darcie Sims Denise and Alan Pedersen discuss how we lose and gain friends after deaths in the family. They also talk about their work with bereaved families on their travels called “Angels Across The USA”. Alan Continue reading
My Reasons for Journaling Are Different Now I am a firm believer in creating and maintaining a written journal after loss or other life altering transitions. Journaling is a way to put uncensored thoughts and feelings on paper. Journaling also … Continue reading
Dear Abel, My wife passed away a little over a year ago. We were married for 17 years. I started dating six month after she died. After dating around for a bi,t I finally started dating someone exclusively last month. … Continue reading
AmyJo Mattheis has walked with thousands through the grief of losing a loved one. With the recent death of her father, she has heard the numbing whisper insisting “he’ll come back.” A former pastor, AmyJo is university professor, writer, life … Continue reading
Nature and all that it encompasses can bear many blessings. A glorious sunset, a gentle rain and a cool breeze can soothe us even in the most tumultuous of times and perhaps even provide valuable teachings that promote clarity on … Continue reading
Six years after my daughter died from the injuries she received in a car crash, I can say, in all honesty, that the searing pain of grief has lessened. The sobbing has passed and, though I cried once during a … Continue reading
It was about 5 a.m. on an Easter morning. It was still dark outside when I was awakened by a nerve-shattering noise, like a screech from a trapped animal or an uncanny moaning from another world. As I roused myself … Continue reading
In the past year, I’ve lost two women in my family from cancer. I’ve felt the searing loss and pain that these deaths have brought, in part because I am in remission from cancer myself. Twice. Seventeen years apart. Because … Continue reading
Dear Abel, I lost my wife three months ago after a tragic accident. This may sound crazy to most people but I feel like dating again. Is it normal for men to feel this way so soon after the death … Continue reading
Losing a parent is never easy, no matter the circumstance or what segment of time in your life the loss occurred. The grief softens, but never leaves us. When holidays roll around, it is always a painful reminder of the … Continue reading
We’re all familiar with the different stages or phases in life – childhood to youth, youth to adulthood, and so on. Those stages could never happen if there wasn’t change ~ every day. Like a flower unfolding, each stage has … Continue reading
When I was in Brussels, Belgium, recently, I found a reference to Compassionate Friends (the organization for parents who have lost a child to death) and a couple’s phone number in a magazine called The Bulletin. I called the number … Continue reading
I never thought I would become my grandchildren’s guardian and raise teenagers again. But that is what happened after my daughter and her former husband were killed in separate car crashes. My grandkids, one boy and one girl, were 15 … Continue reading
The day before Mother’s Day this website posted my article, “A Mother’s Love Lives On.” I included a refrain in the article, a sentence that declared I would always love my daughter. It was the truth. My truth is also … Continue reading
Cemetery Discomfort I have always been uncomfortable in cemeteries ever since I can remember. My discomfort surrounding cemetery visits magnified one hundred fold after my daughter Jeannine’s death in March of 2003. Watching my daughter’s coffin being lowered into the … Continue reading
Our last Mother’s Day together you bought me a hammock. I remember your excitement as I opened it and my anticipation as you gleefully put it together. We all tried it out of course, each of us one at a … Continue reading
My daughter died in 2007 from the injuries she received in a car crash. At the time of her death, she was soaring in life. She was a composite engineer, had an MBA, six industry certifications, a job she enjoyed, … Continue reading
On February 19, 2006, when Allan proposed to me at Hoff Jewelers at a mall in Maplewood, Minnesota, for some odd reason it never dawned on me that I’d be inheriting a mother-in-law too. I was 59 and Allan 60—youngsters … Continue reading
Dr. Coy Cross II is a retired historian with many published works to his credit, but his greatest achievement in life may be his role as a caregiver to his wife Carol, as she struggled with ovarian cancer. Coy’s book, … Continue reading
For many of us, Mother’s Day stirs something deeply loving. For others, ambivalent feelings abide. You see, after thirty-three years in the counseling field and drying the tears off many faces, I can accurately say that not every woman feels … Continue reading
Have you ever wished you had a huge remote and could fast-forward through something? A tedious conversation, or maybe the perky dental hygienist with a terrifying tray of metal weapons? I have. Mother’s Day isn’t supposed to be on that … Continue reading
Several months after my husband died, something happened that caused me to laugh. I was surprised at how good it felt. It also surprised me when I thought about how long it had been since I had last laughed, so … Continue reading
Life is full of choices. What we don’t always understand is that happiness is a choice, too. It seems strange that being happy would be a choice, but that is one of the things I learned when I was caught … Continue reading
Didn’t she CARE? Didn’t she WANT to live? Her sister died of lung cancer from smoking when she was only 37. Didn’t that send a message to my mother to quit? I’m not mad at her, but I can’t ask … Continue reading
When I was first widowed, my overriding thought was that I couldn’t survive it, and I did not wish to. But the thought that I couldn’t go on without him was simply not true: it felt true, but it wasn’t. … Continue reading
Tricia Wolfe’s life seemed perfect. She was married to a successful attorney and the mother of three boys. In 2003, her life changed when her son, Brad, was killed. She is the author of A Heart Torn, A Soul Mended: … Continue reading