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Dating for Widows: Now May be the Time to Cast Your Line

Posted on July 13, 2010 - by Catherine Tidd

Dating after a spouse-loss is kind of like standing on a ledge with a bungee cord attached to you. You sweat, hoping that that bungee cord is gonna hold. You may be ready to take the plunge. Or you may take one look at the view (which looks just fine without the addition of our innards splattered below, thank you very much) and step away. Or, standing on the ledge, we may need a friendly push from a well-intentioned friend who we may be mad at while we’re swinging but once we’re on firm ground we’ll give them a big […]

Wife’s Sudden Death Sends Man on Faith Journey

Posted on July 11, 2010 - by Kyle Shelton

I’ve been living without my wife for seven months now. I’ve had to adjust to a great many things, but the most trying has been my struggle with my faith over that time. I’ve been angry with God, which has consumed me at times. I’ve been angry with Kathy for dying, and I’ve been angry with myself for being pathetic. At first I was consumed by what I perceived as God’s punishment of me. Why would he take the love of my life from me? Why did he not take me instead? Those questions made me doubt everything I’d ever […]

Telling the Positive Story of Your Deceased Child’s Life

Posted on July 10, 2010 - by Sandy Fox

I have a suggestion for all bereaved parents to call up positive memories of your child. First you need to find a quiet place in your home with no distractions, sit in a comfortable chair and with pen and paper or on your computer, jot down a few phrases of every good memory you can think of related to your child. Make the memory phrases just long enough so it is clear in your mind. You may end up with 25, 50, or even over 100. They can be in any order of age. You can rearrange later. Make sure […]

Deceased Son Gives Mom a Sign She Can’t Deny

Posted on July 9, 2010 - by Sheri Perl

There are numerous ways to connect up with loved ones on the other side. While some people experience the feeling of a presence around them, others can hear thoughts in their heads. Most of us can catch a glimpse of our loved ones through our nightly dreams. All of these experiences are subjective. We can never prove them, and they are basically not apparent to anyone but ourselves. However, now and then our loved ones will send a sign that is actually viewable in our physical reality. Of course, you have to be open to it. You can step right […]

Bent But Not Broken After the Loss of a Child

Posted on July 8, 2010 - by Cathy Seehuetter

The beautiful flowering tree planted in Nina’s memory on Memorial Day a year short of a decade ago (by her favorite cousins) looked so regal and smelled so delicious yesterday. I like to think it flowers this time of year as a special birthday message from my “baby girl”. However, with the vicious storm we had last evening, I watched the soft white petals drift and swirl to the ground, as if a deluge of tears from a breaking heart. Today, it sits almost bare – a few petals still hanging on for dear life, unable to let go, desperate […]

Children Without Grief Support May Turn to Bullying

Posted on July 7, 2010 - by Suzy Yehl Marta

News headlines are increasingly filled with tragic stories of youth becoming violent because they seemingly are lashing out to their peers as a way of expressing their anger, which I believe is often a result of a significant change in their family. While bullying is a recent issue in the public eye, it is an unfortunate problem that’s affected many for decades. Whether a child is the bully or being bullied, there is an underlying issue that the kids are suppressing and it is the responsibility of adults to become aware of it. In the case of Phoebe Prince, the […]

Following Sister’s Murder, Questions Abound

Posted on July 5, 2010 - by Shirley Wiles-Dickinson

How many of us have watched the news, listened to the terrible details of a homicide and thought to ourselves “that poor family”? I would venture to say most of us have had that thought. I did. I would hear news like that think to myself or say to my husband, “that poor family,” and my life continued on. On September 18, 2009, I unfortunately became one of those poor families. My sister was found dead in her home. Her death was ruled a homicide later the same day. It is so difficult to explain the feelings, the emotions, the […]

Woman Sets Out to Complete Loved One’s Bucket List

Posted on July 4, 2010 - by Kim Go

My beloved partner Brian was a very young man when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Doctors gave him an estimate of 6 – 12 months to live. As timing would have it, the movie “Bucket List” had come out a year before. This caused much discussion among visiting friends that Brian should make a bucket list. Brian seemed disinterested. He made two concrete, but modest requests – the procurement of a beautiful bathrobe and the commitment to keep up on his grooming. Brian was a fastidious man, and I made his requests happen. His friends talked of helping Brian […]

Cancer Catches Up With Military Hero

Posted on July 3, 2010 - by Dr. Jane R. Westerfield

As told by Anthony J. Amoroso: Heroes aren’t supposed to be ordinary. Yet that’s what my brother was: an ordinary guy living his life the best he knew. If he was just an ordinary guy, what was it that made him a hero? He was my big brother. We were a large Italian family in Boston: Angelo and I had five sisters. It was rare and wonderful when we finally got our turn in the one bathroom in our house! The day he left for the Army, I watched as my brother walked away. I had no idea if I’d […]

Graduation Historic Day for Parentless Children Raised by Grandparents

Posted on July 1, 2010 - by Harriet Hodgson

June was graduation month for most American high schools. Our twin grandchildren graduated then, and my husband and I attended the ceremony. It was an emotional experience because we are GRGs, grandparents raising grandchildren. We assumed these roles after our grandchildren’s parents — our daughter and son-in-law — were killed in separate car crashes. Graduation was an historic day for our grandchildren and for us. Sitting on bleachers makes us uncomfortable, so we arrived early to get one of the few chairs that had been set out. A multi-generational Somali family sat behind us, and I could sense their excitement. […]