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Keeping Lost Siblings In Your Heart

Posted on February 8, 2015 - by Judy Lipson

I am a sister who sadly lost both my sisters. Although I will permanently have a hole in my heart, I am learning to embrace my beloved sisters to encompass an important place in my life. My sisters Margie and Jane are forever part of me, who I am, past, present and future. My heart is opening, and I am welcoming my sisters back into my heart where they truly belong. I suppressed the grief of my beloved sisters for 30 years. In looking at pictures of my beloved sisters and me, I try to recall the beautiful memories of […]

Years After Daughter’s Death, an Extraordinary Day

Posted on February 8, 2015 - by Randah Hamadeh

I have been to our university’s graduation parties several times since my daughter passed away, but they were never held in the same hall that her high school graduation had taken place at. I did not step in that building since her graduation eight years ago. I woke up apprehensive of what was awaiting me this morning. Everyone at home knew that I was uncomfortable. My son tried to reassure me that I would be all right as I kissed him on my way out with the gown in my hands. My daughter gave me a hug. Despite my feelings, […]

Writing the Gratitude!

Posted on February 6, 2015 - by Alice Wisler

When Daniel died, I wanted more. More smiles, more birthdays, more words, more experiences. Like any mom, I wanted my child to have a full and healthy life. When Daniel breathed his last, all I had was four years and five months and eight days. He hadn’t made it to five; he hadn’t even made it to four-and-a-half. We had more sunsets to watch, more waves to play in, more watermelon to drip down our faces. I felt cheated. My journal reflected my anguish and sorrow. I wrote day after day about how unfair this all was—for me, for my […]

A Personal Egypt: Accepting God’s Guidance in Our Journey Toward Inner Peace

Posted on February 6, 2015 - by Charles W. Sidoti

We were slaves to the Pharaohs in Egypt, but the Lord led us out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. (Deuteronomy 6:21) One of the keys to a more peaceful life is learning when to allow oneself to be led and when to take life by the horns. Both of these inner-actions are necessary at different times. As we reach a point within ourselves where we are able to live in the middle, between the tensions of when to relinquish control and when to assume it, we will have reached a place where real spiritual growth […]

A Widow Goes Back to Work

Posted on February 5, 2015 - by Diane Dettmann

When my husband died suddenly in 2000, the thought of walking on this earth 14 years later, much less enjoying a productive and rewarding life, seemed impossible. Never able to have children, John and I spent our 28 years of marriage entwined in each other’s lives. Losing him felt like I had lost myself and in some ways I had. The process of coming back into life was not easy—at times it seemed down right hopeless. Self-doubt and indecision plagued me as I tried to face the challenges alone. Accepting support and encouragement from others helped push me forward. The […]

God Wants Us to Grow and Evolve in Our Grief

Posted on February 4, 2015 - by Donna Miesbach

The sense of separation when a loved one dies can be very painful. What we may not yet have realized is that just because you can’t see your loved ones doesn’t mean they aren’t with you. You are always connected in your heart. Love does not die. In love, there is no separation. One love, one heart. Just thinking of someone consciously connects you to them. Yes, the parting is hard, but it isn’t forever, and even though the “separation” seems so real right now, at some deep level we are all very much connected. Sometimes you may even feel […]

Shifting: Child-Loss Splits Mom Between Heaven and Earth

Posted on February 3, 2015 - by Shannon Harris

For all accounts and purposes I am a strong woman. I have been through some extraordinary situations and lived to tell about them. And the telling has been my mission for the last six months. Sharing my story, educating fellow child-loss survivors about meditation, energy and intuition. I preach about connecting with your child after they have crossed over. I preach about what it looks like and feels like and how it can help you feel your way through the unimaginable loss you’ve experienced. The problem is in the preaching, I forgot the practice. I guess I didn’t forget so […]

Why Affirmation Writing Helps Grief Healing

Posted on January 26, 2015 - by Harriet Hodgson

Grief experts recommend writing as a healing tool because it works. Putting your thoughts in writing makes them real and, more important, validates your thoughts. I started writing one-sentence affirmations after four family members died in 2007 and have been writing them ever since. Affirmation writing has many benefits and there are some of them. Affirmation writing promotes positive thinking. Negative thoughts will come to mind as you think of affirmations. You can consciously turn these negative thoughts to positive ones. Instead of thinking, “I feel so alone” you may turn this around and write “I am blessed to have […]

Life Coach Empowers Clients Through Story and Craft

Posted on January 25, 2015 - by Katherine Relf-Canas

“What now?” It’s a phrase we might utter when we’re dealing with too much in our lives and maybe waiting for a let-up after a cascade of troubles, tragedies and grief strike us. It’s also a question we might ask when we are seeking some direction in our lives. We all get stuck. For those feeling stuck or unraveled by events in their lives, life coaching can provide an avenue for change, growth and self-discovery. It’s different depending on whom you work with, just like therapy. Through her life coaching practice, 3 Speed Life Coach, Joanna Weston brings a unique […]

Denial and Disbelief in Grieving

Posted on January 23, 2015 - by Sarah Kravits

I was in denial from the first moment. And for a while thereafter. On a sunny Saturday in June, I had just finished a mud run with my son, and we were walking back to our car in late morning, covered with mud and laughing. My husband called my cell, from our home phone, I assumed, since as far as I knew, he was home with our other two children. I answered, and he said, “Where are you?” When I told him I was heading to the car, he said no, he needed to know exactly where I was located […]