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First Responder Grief: Moral Injury

Posted on June 29, 2023 - by Dr. Beth Hewett

First Responder Grief: Moral Injury One of the least noticed griefs that first responders experience is what is known as moral injury, the broken trust with a worldview that includes emotional safety. Moral injuries include learning that you can’t stop crime, you can’t make a dent in war, and you can’t save everyone who needs saving. They include the knowledge that people who die—whether in house fires and earthquakes and from anything else—had their own hopes, dreams, aspirations, and even plans for dinner that night. Moral injuries include grieving your own humanity and humanness, as well as your regrets for […]

First Responder Grief: The Importance of Hope

Posted on June 28, 2023 - by Dr. Beth Hewett

First Responder Grief is Common When a critical incident occurs for a first responder, it’s become common to hear, “Thoughts and prayers!” These kind words help because they convey caring about the work of critical incident response. Yet, as first responders, you know that action and courage and other values also are essential to giving people hope. These values must go beyond thoughts and prayers. First response is all about hope. People who are hurting and scared take their hope from first responders. People hope that: ● those who intend to harm them won’t succeed, ● […]

Even After Death, He’s ‘Still With Us’

Posted on June 24, 2023 - by Brandi Reyna

Still With Us As I walked across the stage to get my degree, I told myself “You are still with me.” As I begin the start of a new year, I tell myself, “You are watching over me.” As I accomplish goals, I tell myself, “You are cheering me on.” As I go from one milestone to the next, I tell myself, “You are proud of me.” As I go through seasons of storms, and when I struggle, I tell myself words of encouragement that you used to tell me. I have so many memories to share with you. I […]

Is Grieving a Denial of God?

Posted on June 23, 2023 - by Brandi Reyna

Grieving the loss of your loved one does not mean that you have lost your faith or gone astray. Deep grief means you loved deeply, and that is not a denial of your faith or belief in God or a higher power. Grieving is our human way of trying to understand something out of our control. Mourning is an outward expression of grief. It is an external expression of internal pain. How we mourn is unique to who we are as a person. Excerpted from Life Amongst the Darkness: https://www.amazon.com/Light-Amongst-Darkness-Joyfilled-Journey-ebook/dp/B0C62GX5NR/ Website: https://linktr.ee/brandireyna

Father’s Day After a Daughter Has Died

Posted on June 18, 2023 - by Lo Anne Mayer

Father’s Day After a Daughter Has Died Father’s Day in our house is a mixed blessing. Even though some of our six children and 13 grandchildren will come to celebrate, my husband, Ray, is still very conscious of the empty chair that would have been occupied by our daughter, Cyndi, who died tragically almost 18 years ago. The hole is Ray’s heart comes up in conversations only once in a while these days. His eyes grow sad but there are no obvious tears. Just a quiet faraway look in his eyes. All of our conversations are divided into two sections […]

When a Couple Grieves Differently: After a Child Dies

Posted on June 15, 2023 - by Sherry Cassedy

Mom and Dad Grieve Differently The death of a child is a devastating loss for anyone; it is even more difficult for a marriage. For the marriage to survive, both partners need to work through their own grief while, at the same time, allowing space for the other to grieve. If the partners blame themselves or the other for the loss, grief becomes not only isolating but conflicted. Other complications surrounding the death—an accident, illness, or suicide—can make it even more difficult for the couple to find compassion for one another. Some limited research and plenty of anecdotal evidence tells […]

Prayer for an Empty Chair

Posted on June 13, 2023 - by Brandi Reyna

Dear Empty Chair, We hold a place for you, Where you used to be, As we glance over and remember what used to be. The memories we cherish fondly and sometimes we remember with our tears, Tears because we miss you after all these years. We remember fondly the celebrations, the holidays, and the meals together as a family. While we still celebrate and have meals together, there are others in our lives now who haven’t met you, and we wish you could have been here to meet them. But God had other plans for you, And over time, we […]

Father’s Death Triggers Grief of Sibling-Loss

Posted on June 5, 2023 - by Judy Lipson

Father’s Death Triggers Grief My beloved father Benjamin Lipson passed away in 2011, one week before the premiere of Celebration of Sisters, an annual fundraiser to honor my beloved sisters Margie and Jane. Conflicting emotions, breaking heart — and what do I do about the event? Deep down I knew the answer. The event must go on. Thankfully, the first Celebration was not a skating event, so I did not have to perform on the ice. However, I needed to speak. Somehow, I mustered up the courage to honor Margie and Jane. Raw from the loss and touched by the […]

Guiding a Child Through Parent-Loss: A Mother’s Story

Posted on June 5, 2023 - by Dr. Carol Leibovich Mankes

Guiding a Child Through Parent-Loss Losing a parent is a profound and challenging experience, especially for children. The loss of her beloved father forever changed my daughter’s world when she was just 10 years old. The emotional road she has traveled in seven years has been a rollercoaster ride, filled with moments of both strength and vulnerability. In the immediate aftermath of her father’s passing, my daughter was confronted with a whirlwind of emotions. As her mom, I had the daunting task of giving her the sad news. I made a decision, right before his passing, of allowing her to […]

Life Changes After Pregnancy Loss

Posted on May 29, 2023 - by Colette Kenny Verdes

In the midst of the pandemic, after giving up trying for a second child, I found out that I was pregnant with our daughter quite by surprise. I remember looking out the window of my bathroom out to my backyard as I waited for the test results. I could see my Mother Mary statue in the corner where I keep it, and I felt remotely calm. I was grounded in the reality that at 44, my chances of being pregnant naturally were slim to none. But then I looked down and saw two lines. My heart was beating, and my […]