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The Comfort of a Red Cardinal in Wintertime

Posted on April 12, 2011 - by Harriet Hodgson

Losing four family members within nine months has been, and continues to be, the most challenging experience of my life. My daughter and father-in-law died the same weekend. Several months later, my brother died and several months after that, my former son-in-law died. The grief of multiple losses was so painful I could barely move or think. Of all the deaths, my daughter’s death was the most painful. Family members and friends rallied to help us, but my husband and I knew recovery was up to us. We also knew we had to confront the pain of loss. For weeks, […]

How Am I Doing? Look at My Toes

Posted on April 11, 2011 - by Catherine Tidd

Don’t judge me when I say this … but I could easily get addicted to pedicures. Now, for you men who are reading this, this is not just a girl thing. Any guy who has had a pedicure before will tell you he’ll be back for more. And any woman will tell you, we wish you would get them more often. That sound of Velcro as your heels hit the sheets is not as endearing as you might think. Before my husband died, I had had one pedicure in my entire life. I am usually not embarrassed to say that […]

Great Aunt Waits for God

Posted on April 10, 2011 - by Lizzy Miles

My Great Aunt Alice was a pretty healthy 87 years old. She was spunky. I really thought I’d be submitting her picture to the Today show for the Smuckers jar profile when she turned 100. Then one a rainy day in April, I received the dreaded phone call. Aunt Alice had a sudden brain aneurysm and went into a coma. When I went to visit her, she wasn’t well. Her breathing was labored, and the family knew it was close to the end. Her brother, sister and a couple of my cousins were there. We were her closest relatives as […]

The Greatest Lesson Grief has Taught Me

Posted on April 9, 2011 - by Jane Simington

On March 18, 2011, I was honored with the Woman of Vision Award presented by Global Edmonton Television. At the luncheon, I was asked to speak for two minutes on the greatest lesson my grief had taught me. Many who were not present have asked if I would share my response. I am pleased and honored to do so. In a nutshell, the greatest lesson my journey through grief to healing and wholeness has taught me is the meaning of gratitude. Moving through the loss of my son Billy was extremely painful. It seemed like such an uphill climb. But […]

The Smile Again Story

Posted on April 8, 2011 - by admin

On June 15, 1994, I received a call from my Dad. He told me I better get to the hospital, the doctors didn’t think my brother would make it through the day. My heart fell out of my body and I couldn’t breath. I heard something in my Dad’s voice that I couldn’t deny. In someway, I knew that it was the last day my brother, Pat, would be here on earth. I felt as though I was watching a movie in slow motion or someone else’s pain as I watched each one of my brothers and sisters arrive. But […]

Easter Reminds Woman that God Understands Loss

Posted on April 8, 2011 - by Lisa Peacock

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to the women’s group at my church, and I realized just how much faith meant to me. I grew up Catholic, and it was very important to my mother that we go to church. However, when she was killed, God was the last person I wanted to talk to. I was so angry that He had “taken” both of my parents! How could He? This supposedly loving, kind, merciful God had shown me no kindness or mercy, or so I thought. Through the next four years, I pushed and pulled away from faith. […]

Room For Change After a Spouse-Loss

Posted on April 7, 2011 - by Susan Reynolds

As time “slips” by in my healing from loss of spouse, and I find my way to enter again into life, there seems to be more and more sliding from side to side. I’m trying to find my footing on a path unexplored. It was easy being a mother, wife and co creator of a family life. Two daughters, two cats, one dog and two parents under one roof. Consensus was not always possible, but we worked as a team, dreamed as a team and lived together for 23 years. When my husband died, the girls and I felt unstable […]

Son is Present in the Birds

Posted on April 5, 2011 - by Vicky Bates

My interest in animals started at an early age. My mom, having been raised on a farm, was a regular Dr. Doolittle. We always seemed to have a dog or cat, a bird and at one point even an eight-inch alligator which was sent to us from Florida. When these animals died, we had elaborate funerals and buried our birds and the alligator in a shoebox full of dried leaves and flowers surrounding them. My mom was pulled from the kitchen to stand with my brother and me as we each said something thoughtful about them. The number of tears […]

Does Time Heal?

Posted on April 3, 2011 - by David Roberts

I discovered this quote from singer/songwriter Jack Johnson: And if they tell you love fades over time, tell them there is no such thing as time. His quote also got me thinking about the passage of time as it relates to our grief journeys. Many in our society believe that there is a set time period for resolving our grief. In six months to a year, it is generally expected that one should be “over” his/her grief and return to life, as he/she knew it. What is also implied is that there are practical solutions to the losses that we experience. […]

Cognitive Dissonance in the Hereafter

Posted on April 2, 2011 - by K. Paul Stoller

I am in frequent communication, to a greater or lesser degree, with my teenage son who passed in a train accident at the end of 2007. The bridge that has been built between us, with the assistance of many others, has allowed enough clarity for a series of books to be written by my son, still 19 years old by earth years if he had remained. The first book is just now off the printing presses. Now, this is a very personal experience and I am not trying to convince anyone of anything. I am just sharing, but understand that […]