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Recovered Email Provides Comfort to Grieving Mom

Posted on March 20, 2013 - by Sally Grablick

Throughout the years, my mother has written me many inspiring letters. I use the internet and write my children emails. Time may change the way we communicate – but it hasn’t replaced our need to connect with one another. I cherish the notes received from my son and daughter, and have managed to tuck a nice selection of them away. When I started to save them, I had no idea how much I would grow to value or learn from them. What I do know is that these emails were just a few of the many keepsakes I’d lovingly packed […]

Finding Solace in Acceptance

Posted on March 19, 2013 - by Maria Kubitz

My daughter, Margareta, died in a sudden, tragic accident in the fall of 2009. Her death happened so quickly, there was no time to prepare or say our goodbyes. One moment she was with us and then next she was gone, and life as we knew it was forever shattered. The pain that came with the weeks and months after my daughter’s death was overwhelming; it almost felt like I couldn’t keep on living. But somehow, I found the will to face each day, if for no other reason than to take care of my surviving children. In the early […]

Going Beyond Thinking

Posted on March 18, 2013 - by Carol Loehr

We all use our minds to try to understand why our children died. I am no different; when our son Keith died, I continued to ask that endless question—Why? Throughout my pursuit for answers, my niece Juli and her son Cody helped me realize that maybe I was not looking at all possibilities—just maybe I would have to go beyond my own realm of understanding. As Juli shared some of Cody’s spiritual experiences with me, I found it would take a child to help me break through the spiritual barriers that I, as an adult, had created. Cody was only […]

Book Helps in Healing From Child-Loss

Posted on March 17, 2013 - by Beth Marshall

Speaking with the Heart Strings group was different than any assignment I can remember. These ladies share a journey no one would ever sign up for, the loss of a child. There are no words to describe the unquenchable sorrow their families have experienced, yet somehow in this room, I could sense there was still hope. The monthly meetings offer a safe place to talk, share pictures and honor the lives of precious children with people who understand. At Heart Strings, it’s okay to cry, but it’s also okay to laugh. I asked the group if they knew of any […]

Tuning In To Your Body During Grief

Posted on March 15, 2013 - by Donna Miesbach

We all have an inner guide, and oftentimes it speaks to us through the signals the body sends us – signals of comfort or discomfort. Author Tom Robbins calls those signals “yuk” and “yum.” So how does that work? Say you’re driving down the street and you aren’t sure which way to go. Listen to your body! Or if you’re in the grocery store and you can’t decide between this product or that one. Listen to your body! As we practice following that signal on the little things, we develop a trust – and a confidence – in their accuracy. […]

LifeLines: Using Art to Heal Grief

Posted on March 15, 2013 - by Katherine Relf-Canas

By Katherine Relf-Canas and Nina Koepcke Art is often made alone. When an artist creates something outward-facing and externalized, usually isolation is the ideal environment. But isolation isn’t always good, especially when we’re facing grief. Isolation is not good for us when we are going through tough passages in our lives. It was the urge to create community through making art that helped propel two friends, both dealing with the death of a child, to create a unique art/therapy group back before that concept was common. The artists, Nina Koepcke, and Lois Stuart resided in the San Francisco Bay Area (San […]

Your Grieving Style: Is it Helping or Hurting You?

Posted on March 12, 2013 - by Harriet Hodgson

Until I lost four family members in 2007, I never thought about grieving styles. Then my daughter, father-in-law, brother, and my grandchildren’s father died. I was paralyzed with loss and wondered if I would always be unhappy. Thankfully, common sense kicked in and I decided to help myself. What did I do? I sat down at the computer and started writing about grief and recovery. My articles were short, with an average count of 500 words, and posted on a royalty-free website. National organizations found the articles and posted them as well. Writing helped me so much I made a […]

In Grief, the Body Never Lies

Posted on March 11, 2013 - by Donna Miesbach

When I lost my husband so suddenly, I just kept going. That was what I thought I was supposed to do, so just like the bunny in that battery ad, I shifted into high gear and I didn’t stop. Of course, doing that didn’t give me the time I needed to process what had happened. Neither did it allow me to take care of my body properly, and my body was really asking for help. All the unresolved stress I was feeling was impacting my body in serious ways. Then one day, when I was about at the point of […]

Pearls in Prison: Mother Opposes Parole for Son’s Murderer

Posted on March 11, 2013 - by Radha Stern

My sisters, Sheridan, Michele and Kristin, have passed on my mother’s pearls to me. I wear them when I feel I need extra love and energy. I wore them to the parole hearing on July 26, 2012. The parole hearing brought up a lot of feelings, thoughts and memories my family and I have not touched for some time. I realized with help from my dear friend Jaimee Karroll that when Christopher was murdered I was in shock, traumatized and numb. Sixteen years later, I am not numb and it has been very hard. The consequences of Mark James Taylor […]

Here We Go: Mother Prepares for Parole Hearing for Son’s Murderer

Posted on March 10, 2013 - by Radha Stern

I was visiting with my sisters in Seattle when a certified letter arrived in our mailbox back home. I had been checking the Parole Hearing website from Seattle and nothing was showing the schedule. Getting a certified letter is always unsettling, so when my husband Gary told me about mine, I was upset. What was this about? It never occurred to me it would be the prison informing me of the date. The letter announced that the first Parole Hearing for Mark James Taylor, who murdered my son, Christopher Robin Hotchkiss, on March 21, 1996, would take place on July 26, […]