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When the Mind is Not a Friend

Posted on April 15, 2013 - by Susan Troccolo

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 of that, I know a lot about how my mind works with anxiety and fear. I’ve learned to recognize different voices inside my mind; some voices that contribute to freedom and happiness and some that bind me up in a prison of my own making. Last year, just before my beloved cousin/sister/daughter/friend Jenny died, I recognized that I would need […]

From ‘the Darkest Place,’ Discovery

Posted on April 13, 2013 - by Christine Thiele

I think one of the strangest places that my journey of widowhood has taken me is this place of discovery. Discovery brought forth by the need to survive. This new place is definitely earned. I struggled to survive for so many years. I searched my being for a way to get through each minute, each breath when Dave died. At 39 years old, I was a widow. I was a mom with two little boys looking to me for guidance through this unknown journey of grief. I didn’t have a clue how to survive. It was all trial and error. […]

You Can’t Think Your Way Out of Grief

Posted on April 11, 2013 - by Donna Miesbach

I find it difficult to believe that I was 40 years old before I found out that I had a choice about how I thought and how I felt. Up until then, if “A” happened, I automatically did “B.” Yes, I was living on automatic. Then one day a friend of mine said, “You know, you have a choice. You don’t have to get angry when she does that.” Wow! Talk about a light going on! I’d just never thought about it that way. Since then I’ve learned that what we experience in life is actually what we are thinking […]

To Find Peace, Just Look Up

Posted on April 11, 2013 - by Mary Jane Clayton

Below is an excerpt from the To Do List in my book Brittany’s Rose. Just Look Up I spent many hours looking up at the sky as I drove to and from the hospital to see Brittany. As I did so, I realized why God gave us such a extraordinary roof over our heads. Still, to this day, the sky brings me great comfort. Sometimes, “up” is where we look for hope and inspiration. Other times, it could be we just want to feel the freedom of a wide-open space. No matter what time of day or night, the beauties […]

Don’t Go Through Grief Alone

Posted on April 9, 2013 - by Beth Marshall

life∙line/ˈlīfˌlīn/ Support that enables people to survive or to continue doing something (often by providing an essential connection) The first time I heard the term “lifeline” related to grief was from my dear friend, Patti. Four years ago Patti’s life changed forever when a violent crime took the life of her beautiful twenty-six year old daughter, Anne. There are no words to adequately describe her journey through sorrow since Anne’s death; yet somehow Patti continues to find strength to wake up every morning and keep putting one foot in front of the other. She is often asked how she keeps […]

How to Feel a Greater Connection to Loved Ones in Spirit

Posted on April 6, 2013 - by Paul Coleman

When someone we dearly love passes on, we miss their physical presence. Even when we truly believe they are in a better place and that we will see them again one day, we miss seeing them, holding them, and hearing their voice. This need for a physical connection is so strong, many of us would gladly make a huge sacrifice for just one more brief moment of contact. I’ve reached a stage in life where I’ve had to say goodbye to loved ones who passed on. In my case, both parents, a sister, a nephew, a niece, and countless uncles […]

Grief Experience Taught One of Life’s Lessons: We Are Accepted

Posted on April 5, 2013 - by Donna Miesbach

One of the most miraculous experiences for me as I worked through great loss was finding out that we are loved – and accepted – so fully, so completely, that there is nothing left to forgive! This is true for all of us, and that is why I wrote my book, From Grief to Joy – because the challenges I’ve faced are universal. We all have our mountains to climb, both inner and outer. No one is exempt. Life is a school, and what we learn through that school are the lessons we are ready for, things we could not […]

Writing A Plan To Help You Cope with Loss & Grief

Posted on April 4, 2013 - by John Pete

Do you have a plan to help you cope with your loss and painful grief? Taking back control of your life and how you respond to your grief can be empowering at a time when we often feel vulnerable and hopeless. To begin writing a plan, start with a simple list of all things that can help you to cope. Your plan will evolve and change over time, so don’t worry if the list is incomplete right now. You should also include things that involve interactions with others and leaving your home once in awhile, even if just for short walks. Below are some ideas to get you started, and […]

Grief Healing and the Power of Afterlife Signs

Posted on April 3, 2013 - by Christine Duminiak

Since 1998, during my grief support work, I have observed time and again the remarkable healing affects that take place when the bereaved receive a personal afterlife sign from their departed loved ones. Many who were deeply grieving and in a very dark place would later confide in me that the only reason they did not follow through on their thoughts of suicide was because they had received an afterlife sign. Types of Signs Some of these “signs” may be in the form of: happy and vivid dreams where you get to see, talk or hug them again; being surrounded […]

From Loneliness to Solitude

Posted on April 1, 2013 - by Donna Miesbach

Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of losing a loved one is the awful sense of having been left alone. The loss of the presence, the personality, the person with whom we had blended so well leaves an acute sense of loneliness. It is easy to feel lost, abandoned even, with no idea where to go. All sense of purpose seems to have evaporated. We feel very much like a ship without a rudder, and the seas do not feel like friendly seas at all. It is hard to keep going, to even try at times like these. Yet […]