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Address Book Links Then … and Now

Posted on December 1, 2010 - by Mary Westra

Early in the morning of Sunday, July 8, 2001, the sheriff drove up to our house and the chaplain told us through the screen door that our twenty-four year old son Peter had been kicked to death by bouncers in Atlantic City. When they came in, they asked for my address book. “In the kitchen . . . second drawer from the door . . . on the left,” I managed to blurt out while clinging to my husband. Somehow, without conscious thought, I came up with the right names, the names of nearby friends who were home and who […]

Depression During the Holidays

Posted on December 1, 2010 - by Joan Haskins

As Santa’s “ho ho ho” drifts toward us, it may not sound much too jolly if we are feeling sad. We tend to think everyone but us is happy, which is one of the biggest myths surrounding Christmas. According to statistics, there is a 15% increase in the number of individuals seeking help for emotional disorders in December. Some causes of holiday depression are: Enormous pressure to get too much done within a specified time. Overwhelming financial obligations. Relationships with family and friends that are more complex and strained at a time when you want them to be perfect. Hard […]

Feeling sad for a friend

Posted on November 30, 2010 - by admin

2.I am 41 yrs old man. From my school days I used to like a classmate of mine. Though I loved her so much it was beyond my scope to express it. I used to love her within my own mind. Ultimately she was married to another person 18 years back and I was married later to a different woman. All went well until 5 years back when her husband died. I was shocked but stayed normal and could not meet her until recently. When I saw her personally, since then a pain started hurting me all the time. This […]

How Friendships May Change for Bereaved

Posted on November 30, 2010 - by Brenda Marshall

“Can’t make lunch tomorrow. We’ll re-schedule,” said the note. It was short, to the point and oh how it stung. It was nearly 3 months since my brother died, and this lunch with one of my oldest and closest friends was something I’d looked forward to for weeks. With a brief email, it was cancelled — as were the next two. And so the friendship drifted, and the person who I thought would be my biggest support disappeared from my life. My story is not unique. I’ve heard it repeated multiple times in different ways over the years. Those we […]

Husband’s Death, Father’s Death

Posted on November 30, 2010 - by Christine Thiele

Five years ago, my kids’ dad died from pancreas cancer. At the time, I did not know what it was like to lose a parent. Both my parents were still living. They were still married to each other and seemed pretty content. All that changed a few months ago. My dad died. Around last Thanksgiving, he was diagnosed with lung cancer…with bone involvement, so it was pretty serious. He decided to take on treatment and fight this cancer. He definitely had ups and downs, and we could all tell he was slowing down. Slowing down…not stopping. He did his best […]

Widowhood Means Doing Holiday Tasks for Two

Posted on November 29, 2010 - by Catherine Tidd

The mood has changed. Not just my mood (although that can change every second, thanks to fluctuating hormone levels and no husband to yell at when I’m cranky for no reason). It seems like everyone’s mood has changed. You know…we’re pretty funny. We can’t just give ourselves a time to adjust to the fact that the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting cooler. We can’t just sit back and relax and accept it for what it is. Nope. Because thanks to Target and Hobby Lobby breaking out the autumn decorations in June and Christmas stuff in July, […]

What It’s Like to Lose a Child

Posted on November 28, 2010 - by Vicky Bates

“Trust that you can learn from each challenge, regardless of how disturbing or painful. That is a God-given right inside of you. Invoke your right to learn from everything.” – John Morton Everyone asks what’s it like to lose a child. Disbelief How could it be? This only happens to people you don’t know who are on the 6 o’clock news at night, in some town you have never heard of, “What a shame, how tragic,” you sincerely say to yourself as you reach for your magazine or get up to start dinner wondering if you should make a salad. […]

Finding a Purpose After a Sibling’s Murder

Posted on November 27, 2010 - by Shirley Wiles-Dickinson

After my sister, Sandra, was murdered in September of 2009, I was pro-active in seeking help to deal with the tragedy. I saw my doctor regularly, a family therapist and later a psychologist. I also found a wonderful support group through our local hospice. At first, I felt so weak, needing help dealing with the loss. As the weeks unfolded into months, I realized, with the help of all my support, that I wasn’t weak at all for needing help. I was strong for realizing I needed it. And even stronger for asking for help. I remember discussing in the […]

The Holidays for Suicide Loss Survivors

Posted on November 27, 2010 - by Catherine Greenleaf

As suicide loss survivors, we can often dread the holiday season. Christmas music tells us to be jolly, but sometimes our grief is too heavy and we just can’t work up the enthusiasm. However, by giving ourselves permission to take care of ourselves, we take control and feel self-empowered – regardless of what the relatives may say. Here are some tips to help you along: Tip #1 – The most important thing you can do this holiday season, or at any time, is to put yourself with safe people who validate your loss. Tip #2 – Don’t feel you have […]

my princess katrina

Posted on November 26, 2010 - by admin

on 4/18/2008 my life changed forever i was told my 23 yr old daughter katrins was found dead on a bahroom floor in a battered womens shelter 2 days after her twin brothers daughter was born she died of a drug overdose and also left behind her 8 yr old daughter im searching for any type of support this small town i live in has no support groups please help