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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 […]

Embracing Grief Does Not Mean Rejecting Faith

Posted on August 27, 2011 - by Brandi Reyna

Prior to my fiancé Greg’s accident in March 2010, my walk with Christ included daily quiet time and prayer, weekly women’s bible study, weekly young adult’s small group, weekly church service, and I served in ministry as a greeter, prayer team member and as intern in our church in women’s ministry. My walk with Christ looks a lot different now. I feel so convicted about it because I know my walk should resemble how I lived prior to Greg’s accident because that’s what scripture teaches. However, a friend of many years shared with me that while she sees how and […]

We Never Said Goodbye

Posted on August 26, 2011 - by Tony Falzano

Towards the end of her life, my mom had a number of health issues. These included high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure and eventually, dialysis. In the fall of 1999, her right leg began to turn black and blue. It was diagnosed that her heart was not strong enough to pump the blood to the lower extremity and thus caused the leg to discolor. To correct this, mom had surgery on her artery to increase the blood flow. She came through the operation fine. She was alert that afternoon and was able to converse. The next day, the hospital staff […]

Sound and Silence Offer Solace

Posted on August 25, 2011 - by Rhonda Belous

“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose.” – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross I felt compelled to stroke his hair like he was my little boy. A young boy who was in honest pain with not one place left to turn. The crying spells were inconsolable. No words would do. Nothing could possibly be fair, kind or compassionately adequate. At this point, there was not much left for my father: body, fixes, time. All that remained were random attempts at comfort, and most importantly, Love. Once, musicians came […]

Free Bird Incident: Deceased Son Gives Mom a Sign

Posted on August 22, 2011 - by Sheri Perl

A week or so after Danny passed, I was lying in bed, unable to bring myself to get up and get dressed. My heart was heavy and I could think of no way to lighten it. For lack of anything else to do, I opened my computer and began to look at the music that was listed in my iTunes library. My eyes immediately locked on a song by the name of “Free Bird”. I had never listened to the song or had any interest in it before. It was included in a movie sound tract that I had previously […]

Psalm 23 Creates Healing Connection

Posted on August 21, 2011 - by Barbara Francis

Grief is the price we pay for love. —Queen Elizabeth II My best friend was dead. My faith was shattered. It was too much for me. I felt that I, too, was dying. I desperately needed a breakthrough—a sign, if you will, that she was safe. The thoughts of her being smashed against a mountain in her own private plane just had to be changed. It just had to be. I would wait seven months for such a healing connection. Let me walk you through the events that led up to the breakthrough. For nearly a decade, Jody and I […]

How to Respond to Grief and Loss

Posted on August 20, 2011 - by James P. Krehbiel

Rabbi Harold Kushner, the author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, wrote about his response to personal tragedy. His son, Aaron, experienced a premature aging disorder (progeria), and eventually died from this syndrome. The pain from the rabbi’s loss activated a crisis of faith. Kushner wrote his book for those “who have been hurt by life,” to assist them in finding a faith that provides reasonable answers to aid them in coping with their suffering. In his book, Kushner explores the random nature of life and how certain simplistic religious explanations for grief and loss left him feeling […]

Hospice Volunteer Never Felt ‘So Close to God’ Before

Posted on August 19, 2011 - by Vicky Bates

I don’t think there is anything more gratifying then working with hospice. A few years after my son’s death, I decided to sign up for the training sessions, which surprisingly many people after they lose a loved one. I had started to write about my son and felt that working with hospice would be a good fit for me with my experiences. I came to realize during the classes that it wasn’t so much my personal insight about loss but my humor that would help lift patients and caregivers.  If someone is dying, why would they want some solemn person […]

Beginning of School Reminds Mom of Daughter who Died

Posted on August 18, 2011 - by Cathy Seehuetter

September, the advent of fall, seems almost like a reprieve from the difficult summer months that bring with it concentration on family activities. Maybe you had in previous years rented a cabin on the lake or camped, held 4th of July picnics, days at the beach, and trips to the fair. But with the death of your child, summer can be an excruciating time of year. Therefore, with August’s demise, September is almost a breath of fresh air. There are no major holidays to contend with. Granted, the “Big 4” is on the horizon, but still far enough away not […]