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From Motherless to ‘Motherfull’

Posted on September 25, 2016 - by Ceci Frost

Knowing our role or function among our friends and family isn’t something we intentionally think about; it’s just natural. Knowing our role at work is necessary and obvious. I didn’t realize every character (aka: people around me) in my story (aka: life) had been playing a role in my life for years. Not just Mom, Dad, Grandma, or best friend. But more in-depth: protector, caretaker, wisdom giver, encourager, the glue, or comedian. I knew before I lost my mom that I was Cathy’s daughter. Everyone loved my mom; therefore, they loved me too, because I was her daughter. (I truly […]

When Sorrow and Joy Collide: Coping with Opposite Emotions

Posted on September 23, 2016 - by Harriet Hodgson

In 2007, my husband and I became guardians of our twin grandchildren. Our elder daughter, their mother, died from the injuries she received in a car crash. Six months later the twin’s father died from the injuries he received in a car crash. Two more family members died as well, and we were stunned by grief. The twins, one boy and one girl, were 15 years old when they moved in with us. Our challenge was to stay upbeat for them and grieve at the same time. I’m a strong person, but wondered if I would survive such tragedy. As […]

Darnell Baylor: Helping Teens with Grief and Anger

Posted on September 23, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

Darnell Baylor with Roberta’s House talks to Dr. Heidi Horsley about teens and grief. As a program manager, Baylor works with bereaved teens in Baltimore. It’s the only such center in Baltimore. “Changing the Game” is a way for kids to take control and do something healthier during their grief. They need support and consistency. They need a hug, a teacher, and that’s what they’re looking for as teens anyway. Grief and loss exacerbates the situation and can blow up their feelings. Anger is a common response to a loss. While many teens are angry, they’re also unsure of how […]

Mandi Zucker: Imagine Center Offers Family Support

Posted on September 21, 2016 - by Gloria Horsley

Mandi Zucker joins Dr. Gloria Horsley to talk about Imagine, a center for coping with loss located in New Jersey. They target children ages 3-18 as well as their families. Children living with an illness in the family, as well as those who’ve lost someone they love, need a special kind of support. For adults who are grieving themselves, balancing life, loss, and a little one who’s grieving can be a huge challenge. There are more women than men who seek out grief support, but Imagine is open to men and women alike. Still, there are more moms at the […]

Coral Popowitz: Grief Camps Offer Peer-to-Peer Healing

Posted on September 20, 2016 - by Gloria Horsley

Grief camps can be a fantastic tool for healing. Dr. Gloria Horsley interviews Coral Popowitz, the Executive Director of several grief camps around the country. Grief camp is an oxymoron, since nobody wants to think about attending one. However, the focus is on the camp aspect and it’s geared towards kids looking for a fun peer to peer outing. Adults can have just as much fun as kids, and there’s definitely a ritual and memorial aspect to it. Everyone arrives on a Friday, and nobody wants to be there but they feel a need to be there. Her camps are […]

My Ten-Year Journey After Losing My Daughter

Posted on September 18, 2016 - by Randah Hamadeh

I experienced the saddest moments of my life, as the unthinkable happened to my family, when Samar, my 18-year-old daughter died ten years ago. I never thought that what happened to some parents would ever happen to us. But it did. The death of my youngest daughter was the biggest blow I had in my entire life. Yet as a mother of two other children and a wife, I had to give strength to my family. It was not easy. Samar’s 10-year anniversary was on September 4. It has prompted me to share with parents, particularly mothers, how I survived […]

Active Grieving Can Help After Sibling Loss

Posted on September 17, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

“Every loss is unique. The truth is, the worst loss is the one that is happening to you, the one that has picked you up and thrown you down and left you struggling to put your life back together.” (Devita-Raeburn, 2004, p. 184) When I was 20 years old, I was awakened in the middle of the night to the terrible news that my 17-year-old brother Scott and cousin Matthew, had been killed together in a car accident. It seemed inconceivable that my brother had died. My brother, who I had grown up with, shared a history with, and expected […]

Coping With Grief: Approaching the Second Anniversary of My Son’s Death

Posted on September 17, 2016 - by Basia Mosinski

Life is moving along well, considering the magnitude of losing of my only child almost two years ago. Since December of last year, I have started to feel like myself again. My nature, which is generally optimistic and hopeful, has returned. Recognizing that part of myself return was like meeting with an old friend. Since my son’s death, I choose not to fake what I’m feeling, to others or myself. It’s not that I dump my sadness onto others; rather, I decide what’s best for me in a given moment and assess my ability and willingness to share and be […]

Time Doesn’t Heal; Gratitude Does

Posted on September 11, 2016 - by Jill Smoot

I remember after the death of our son in 2011, how disconnected I felt that first year. Things I once enjoyed, even special relationships, I was unable to maintain. It wasn’t that I had stopped caring, never that, but the energy involved in even writing a simple letter was too much for me. I was somehow immobilized, and daily tasks took my strength to perform them. Sleep was erratic, and there were vivid dreams of Aaron that would awaken me to painful reality. Each morning was a fresh remembrance of this sorrow I would have the rest of my life. […]

Doubt: A Meaningful Part of Saint Mother Teresa’s Story

Posted on September 11, 2016 - by Charles W. Sidoti

One of the most important revelations about Saint Mother Teresa (1910 – 1997) was made after her death. It came in a collection of personal letters written to her spiritual advisers made public in a book published in 2007. The book called, Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, revealed that Mother Teresa was plagued by serious doubts about her faith. The news headline read: “Letters Reveal Mother Teresa’s Secret: Book of Iconic Nun’s Letters Show She Was Tormented by Doubts in Her Faith.” The article stated in part, In a rare interview in 1986, Mother Teresa told CBS News she had a calling, […]