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The 10th Anniversary of 9/11: How You Can Help

Posted on September 8, 2011 - by Mary Jane Hurley Brant

On September 11, 2011, we remember the 10th anniversary of the day when nearly 3,000 victims were killed after two airliners were crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, another plane hit the Pentagon, and a final plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania. In 2001, the barrage of bruising images from that fateful day imprinted, pained and wounded our collective psyches. The killing of innocent and unarmed people touched our nation’s heart with universal feelings of sadness and, as a country, we are forever changed. We also didn’t know where to turn with fracturing losses of […]

After 700 Days, a Jury Trial for Man Accused

Posted on September 7, 2011 - by Shirley Wiles-Dickinson

On August 24, 2011, I attended our 8th pre trial hearing for my sister’s murderer. Our first jury trial date was June 7, 2010, only to be continued until June 21, 2010, only to be continued to September 13, 2010, only to be continued until November 29, 2010, only to be continued until March 7, 2011, only to be continued until May 16, 2011, only to be continued until July 11, 2011, only to be continued until September 6, 2011. Yesterday there was no mention of any more continuances. The judge even cancelled her vacation so the jury trial could […]

Voice of Pain Becomes Voice of Comfort

Posted on September 6, 2011 - by Laurel D. Rund

There were so many voices in her head since his death, and they meshed into an angry crowd within her. These discordant sounds pulled her into an abyss called grief. As the voices blended together, she could not hear them clearly, drown them out or turn them off. It was a time of profound sadness and she was uneasy, off balance, in a dark place that didn’t seem to have an Exit sign within sight. At other times, the voice of grief came in at a different frequency ~ like a low, annoying and distracting hum, with no shut-off valve. […]

Widow Reflects on Labor Day and its Complications

Posted on September 5, 2011 - by Kim Meredith

Work is present in our daily lives on many levels. We labor at our formal employment, we toil on building relationships, and we act to keep ourselves fit and healthy. All of these chores fit one of the dictionary definitions of the word work. Each one is a “purposeful effort.” As we are closing in on Labor Day, I find myself with mixed emotions. This symbolic end of summer is usually marked with picnics and barbecues, which I love. Any excuse to eat outside and cook on the grill is fine with me! That means less work and more fun. […]

Combatting the Sunday Morning Loneliness

Posted on September 4, 2011 - by Sandra Pesmen

The television is crackling with news about the latest weather catastrophe! All the morning news shows are “round tabling” about the craziness of ALL the candidates!! I’m bursting with comments, remarks, outrage—and there’s no one here for me to share all this emotion with. I can easily feel sorry for myself and go into a lonely funk, but I choose not to. Instead I make a lovely breakfast just for me. I make plans to bake cupcakes later for a sick friend, and I think about what kind of writing I’ll do this afternoon (and if you have other creative talents […]

Despite Husband’s Death, He’s ‘Always There’

Posted on September 3, 2011 - by Ellen Gerst

When my late husband committed suicide, it felt as if I died too. The searing pain pierced my heart so deeply that I felt disconnected from everyday life. I would watch the world go by as if it were a movie, and I did not have a part. However, my two children needed my caring attention, so I walked through life accomplishing the necessary tasks. However, when I was alone at night and in the confines of my bedroom, I would incessantly replay my life in my mind’s eye like a never-ending rerun. Over time, I was finally able to […]

The Music and Life of Nick Ashford

Posted on September 2, 2011 - by Nicole Alston

Not long before I attended Mr. Nick Ashford’s funeral at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, I was waiting in the check-out line at a nearby convenience store. The line was being manned by an exasperated store clerk, but, apparently, he had been abandoned by his fellow employees. His frantic attempts to page them for back-up help at the counter were completely ignored. Customers were irritable and becoming more and more impatient by the minute. The scene was tense, with the exception of a teenage girl in front of me, who seemed to have found the secret to zoning out […]

Memories of Flowers on a Rainy Day

Posted on August 30, 2011 - by Chasity Glass

The smell of rain humidified the air. I hit snooze twice, three times. I’m convinced rain in Los Angeles should be considered a snow day, a break from routine, from working hard, a day to stay under the blankets. Even Gladys didn’t want to undo the tight ball of her sleeping body. Contemplating a fourth snooze, I heard a knock on the door. Doubtful it was my house, I rolled over. Another knock disturbed the chilled room. What the hell do the neighbors want at 8 a.m.? I dragged myself out from the depths of my comforter and headed to […]

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Posted on August 29, 2011 - by Kimberly Wencl

In a few short days, the month of September will be upon us. As I type these words, I can physically feel my stomach flip-flopping and a knot beginning to form. What’s wrong with September? Technically … nothing. I do enjoy the last days of summer and the soon-to-be fall weather. But my oldest daughter’s birthday and the day she died are both in the month of September. September brings up so many memories, both the good and the painful. On September 12, my Elizabeth would have been 28 years old. What would she be doing with her life? I so often […]

Deceased Grandchild Sends Dragonflies to Grandma

Posted on August 28, 2011 - by Nina Bennett

Synchronicity is far more than a rock album. It is the term coined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychotherapist, to describe the phenomenon in which events are connected in such a meaningful way that their occurrence seems to defy the calculations of probability. Part of my new normal since my granddaughter was born still is that I no longer believe in coincidence. I do, however, fervently embrace the concept of synchronicity. My earliest experience of synchronicity in this particular journey of bereavement, grief and transformation occurred while my daughter-in-law was in labor. It is only in retrospect that I am […]