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Widows Suffer ‘Absence of Touch’

Posted on July 23, 2013 - by Melinda Richarz Lyons

Six weeks after my father died, I lost my fifty-six-year-old husband very suddenly. My mother and I have often discussed how sad and strange it was to be widowed at about the same time. Because of factors like our ages, some issues we faced were obviously very different. But Mother and I also found many similarities in our journeys through grief. Recently we were talking about the many challenges we have faced as widows, and how some linger. Mother said, “Your father has been gone seven years, but one of the hardest things for me to deal with even now […]

How Lory’s Place ‘Fills the Holes’ for Michigan Grievers

Posted on July 20, 2013 - by Marcy Blesy

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose.” So goes the well known saying. Not a family goes unmarked by the loss of a loved one. Though time often lessens the pain, grief is a journey that lasts a lifetime. I lost both my father and mother at young ages, not anything my friends could understand. While other supportive family filled in the gaps that were missing no one but my sister could truly understand what I was feeling. And even she and I grieved uniquely. Southwest Michigan is truly fortunate to have a facility that […]

What We Can Learn From Angelina Jolie — About Suicide

Posted on July 18, 2013 - by Julie Barnes

I was reading Angelina’s op-ed piece in the New York Times, on her decision to have a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of breast cancer. The fact that she shared her story was both courageous and inspiring. Why did she want to share her story and not keep it private, a move that’s been called heroic by many? She knew that by stepping through any fear or stigma that surrounds the “C” word… she would not only inspire women to take action and be proactive with their health, but to also shed light about the genetic testing and the […]

Someday: A Poem

Posted on July 18, 2013 - by Tarah Hipple

I may have lost myself somewhere along the way But I’ll be back when the dawn breaks…someday. Along my journey I walked into too many caves And the darkness made me want my home And to come back someday. There were dragons to slay Horrific dragons—I was afraid But I slayed them And loudly whispered amens After praying to guide me back…someday. I witnessed a hungry lion And I fed him with guilt But the innocence inside of me Made me want to redeem myself someday. As I wandered astray I slowly found myself And wearily asked the Lord for […]

Grief Lesson: Life is Worth Fighting For

Posted on July 17, 2013 - by Brandi Reyna

“Be Bold. Amaze Yourself. Take Chances. Live Your Life With Determination. This Your Time. You only LIVE ONCE.” ~ Author Unknown One thing life has taught me is that: Life is worth fighting for. My new life is very different from the life I had when Greg was still here. My new normal is very different from the first few years after losing Greg. While there are still aspects of my old life that are still in my new normal, a lot of growth and healing took place for me to be where I am at now in life. I […]

Grief Requires Spiritual Attention

Posted on July 17, 2013 - by Donna Miesbach

Moments of crisis have a way of bringing our focus into stark relief. They get our attention. They force us to plumb our spiritual depths. They put on the brakes and make us look at what life is really all about. Perhaps it is not this way for everyone, but that is how it has been for me. My spiritual life and my working life have always walked hand in hand. Even though there were times when one was more in the forefront than the other, they have always been like two sides of a coin, but my husbands sudden […]

A Haunting Disturbance: A Poem

Posted on July 15, 2013 - by Tarah Hipple

Maybe I’ll always be tortured by loud noises The sudden silence after it echoes through the trees Maybe my skin will always develop goosebumps As I hear the little girl inside of me Soundlessly scream—no, no more—please. The emptiness that is momentarily formed in my heart Soon fills with dread From the conclusion of the beginning That plays like a horror movie inside my pounding head. Maybe my muscles will always tense When I hear a noise similar to what ended a living But if that’s the one more piece of evidence That proves my heart is still beating Though […]

Let Me Tell You About My Grief: Releasing Hidden Feelings

Posted on July 14, 2013 - by Harriet Hodgson

Americans tend to avoid grief. We watch hurricane disasters and fires and car crashes on television, but when it comes to listening to someone’s grief story, many of us want to be elsewhere. According to a common myth, mourners “get over it” in three weeks or so, a notion so far from reality it’s laughable. Bereaved people like me are everywhere — at the grocery store, filling car gas tanks, walking discount store aisles, and waiting at red lights. After four of my family members died in 2007 I wanted to release the pain of grief and tell everyone about […]

After the Loneliness, Solitude and Love

Posted on July 14, 2013 - by Donna Miesbach

In so many ways, losing a loved one changes things forever. Those special relationships can never be replaced, yet even though it feels as though we have suffered a great loss, our loved ones are still so much a part of the fabric of our lives and of who we are. We’ll always have them, whether we can see them physically or not. The void we feel after such a loss is there for a reason. It’s giving us the time we need to work through our loss, and if we hang in there, eventually that feeling of loneliness will […]

The Fear of Forgetting

Posted on July 12, 2013 - by Maria Kubitz

Since my daughter died just after turning four years old, one of my biggest fears has been that she will be forgotten. But lately, I’ve been asking myself: What does that really mean? What am I really scared of? The idea that she will be forgotten is actually two separate fears. The first is that due to the notion of “out of sight, out of mind,” friends and even family will stop thinking of her and, in essence, “forget her”. In reality, this is the natural course of life. I have beloved relatives and dear friends who have passed, and […]