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Not knowing Mum had died

Posted on March 29, 2011 - by admin

It will be a year on April the 2nd which was good Friday that I found out my poor mother had died. She had been dead nearly 2 years but my father wanted to punish me for things past so did not tell me and got one of his sisters to telephone me and tell me. My father and mother have not spoken to me four at least 6 years, but I have found out since my mother wanted to ring me and my father would not let her. My twin brother kept this a secret from me also, so […]

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The Art of Patience in the Grieving Process

Posted on March 29, 2011 - by Lauren Muscarella

Quick. Fast. Now. Go. Do. Success. Power. Instant gratification is an unfortunate American archetype. I feel myself drawn to this alluring proposition constantly even when I have, on more than one occasion, realized it’s self-defeating. I want to get where I am going now, not two hours from now, not two years from now. Right now. Even as a big proponent of living in the moment, something self-help gurus bellow regularly, I catch myself impatiently chasing after my current challenge at any given time. I want to climb the damn mountain already and move on to the next. But by […]

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The day you died.

Posted on March 26, 2011 - by admin

It been six months (yesterday) since my brother died suddenly. A unknown man on the end of the phone, spoke to me. He told me you were dead. He bought me to my knees. His news shattered my life beyond repair. I sobbed as I tried to recall and reclaim your life back. The screams that I howled, felt like they were coming out of someone else’s body. The weight of my body collapsed on the floor, like some sacrificial emptying. I took the form of the lifeless balloon, after its air had escaped. How often I think of you […]

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a hole in my heart

Posted on March 26, 2011 - by admin

My husband Keith spent 10 months battling cancer. Together we fought it….chemo, radiation and more radiation. He was in so much pain we had to go to hospice. They gave him so much morphine – I feel like that is what killed him. He died 2 weeks after we went to hospice house. I have so much guilt and anger. Why did I let them take him to hospice house? I thought they would just adjust his medication and send him home. He never came home. We were just about to retire together and he worked so hard all of […]

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Woman Finds it Hard to Trust after Sister’s Murder

Posted on March 26, 2011 - by Shirley Wiles-Dickinson

“A normal reaction to a very abnormal situation.” My psychologist spoke those words to me so often in the months following my sister’s murder. Choosing to seek the help of psychologist was one of the most important decisions I made.  I discussed so many emotions and feelings with her.  Emotions and feelings I would have most likely kept bottled up inside had I not made that first appointment with her. Of all the issues I discussed with her,  trust seemed to be the most difficult.  I remember my first appointment.  She was soft spoken, gentle, she put me at ease. […]

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What Doesn’t Kill Me…Makes Me Surrender

Posted on March 24, 2011 - by Christine Thiele

In the years since my husband died, many times I have heard the phrase: “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.”  I’ve been thinking about that lately and am not sure if I agree.  There are so many different endings I could add to the phrase that would fit better for me…what doesn’t kill you…only nearly kills you…or what doesn’t kill you…you wish would kill you…or what doesn’t kill you … only brings you to your knees and beats the crap out of you…all of these have fit my life since Dave’s death. There are the positive endings too…what […]

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I Miss My Kaila

Posted on March 23, 2011 - by admin

My daugher passed away 7 mos ago. A poorly performed homicide investigation was done and closed. Kaila, a beautiful, energetic, strong, caring, dedicated 1st time mom,decided to go chill with a few friends. She kissed me wednesday on her way out. We spoke several times that day. At 18 she was very responsible and since going to school, working, taking care of her son and taking care of me as I live with stage 3 cancer, she decided to have some “Kaila time”. She had wanted to come pick up her son for the night and i explained that i […]

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Widows: Is it Time for Us to Tune Out?

Posted on March 23, 2011 - by Catherine Tidd

Is it just me…or does it seem like the world is going to heck in a hand-basket? Earthquakes, nuclear explosions, tsunamis, idiots in government.  I hear even that sweet, young man, Charlie Sheen, is having issues. Everything that is going on in the world today is enough to overwhelm anyone if they really let it sink in.  And I feel like, as widows, when we let something sink in…it sinks.  We’ve had ringside seats to the fragility of life and that little mental picture is something that will never go away. When we see disaster, we’re picturing the family members […]

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Writing a Book With Deceased Son

Posted on March 22, 2011 - by K. Paul Stoller

With the publication of my son’s book less than two weeks away, the cat will be out of the bag, and it will be known that less than two weeks after his passing (in 2007), I was getting contact messages from him. Two years later, I started writing the book that he wanted to pen; therefore, I would say I have a rather unusual perspective on grief. And while I am a physician, I don’t claim to be anymore of an expert than anyone else. But it did provide for an experience that is worth sharing. First and foremost, my […]

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Spring Challenges Bereaved Mom to Find Hope

Posted on March 21, 2011 - by Amy C. Maddocks

Springtime is upon us, along with all the excitement of new growth, new life, and new beginnings.  But spring doesn’t hold such new hope and life for everyone.  Those who have endured the death of a loved one don’t always welcome the new seasons. My son died in mid-winter, so when spring came around, I scoffed at all of the new beginnings around me.  It’s easy to get caught up in feelings of anger, resentment, and isolation.  But it’s much harder to embrace change, learn from it, grow from it, and make a new normal. For me, it took time, […]

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