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Let’s All Take Advantage of the Widow! Dealing with Manipulative Family and Friends

Posted on October 28, 2008 - by Beverly Chantalle McManus

Martha from Utah writes: Your blog comments would have been of immense help the first couple of years after my husband’s death. We had been married for 45 years. I can relate to all they say. At this point in my adjustment (not recovery), reading what new widows have to say brings back a lot of the pain. When it comes down to the nitty gritty, Time is the greatest healer. It will be 4 years in February. I have figured out I will either survive or die. Do any other widows complain about inheritance […]

Grief and the Internet

Posted on October 28, 2008 - by Ken Doka

By Ken Doka — When we are grieving one needs all the support we can get. One needs to use every tool, every resource that works. Grief can be a difficult battle. One must use every weapon he or she can muster. For some people, computers and the Internet are not helpful. They may feel intimidated navigating a computer or have never sought to purchase a computer or sign up with an Internet server. Yet others may find additional resources on the Internet to assist in their struggle with grief. For those who do, it is important to be aware […]

Football Movie Handles Grief With Sensitivity

Posted on October 25, 2008 - by Abel Keogh

By Abel Keogh — It’s hard to find a movie that effectively deals with the subject of grief. Occasionally however, there’s one that really deals with the subject in a realistic way. The most recent movie that does an excellent job dealing with the subject is We Are Marshall. We Are Marshall is about the tragic plane crash that killed the players and coaches of Marshall University in 1970. Though it’s hyped as a sports movie and the difficult task of rebuilding a college football team from scratch, We Are Marshall is really a movie about dealing with death and […]

Helping Boyfriend Deal With His Mother’s Death

Posted on October 24, 2008 - by admin

Vanessa writes in: On November 27, 2007, my boyfriend’s mother died suddenly at age 43. She was found dead in her bed by my boyfriend and his 13-year-old brother. It was something that no one expected and she had no health problems whatso ever. She was the center of her family’s universe. She was and always will be the most amazing woman I ever met in my life. That day, my boyfriend had the day off. He woke up to find that his mom was still sleeping, so he decided to clean that house for her. After cleaning, he left […]

Starting your own support group

Posted on October 24, 2008 - by Sandy Fox

by Sandy Fox I would encourage anyone, who needs the help of a support group to deal with the death of a child, to start their own if there is none in the area in which you live. The group does not need to be part of a national group of bereaved parents. It can serve any purpose you need in your own area of the country. In order to get started, the local newspaper should be contacted to see if they will do a story in the paper about your first and subsequent meetings. Flyers can be placed in […]

‘Adult Orphans’ Need Not Lose Connection With Parents

Posted on October 23, 2008 - by Annette Gonzalez

By Annette Gonzalez — I am an adult orphan. I’m not anyone’s child anymore. Both my parents have died. There is no smooth transition from being a child in the family to becoming an orphan. One day you have parents and the next day you don’t. It’s quite a revelation to know that there is no one to approve or disapprove of your actions anymore. You are it! It is also hard to face that I now represent the older generation. I was the oldest child and the oldest grandchild in my family. I am now the oldest adult. It […]

The Burden Basket: Why Some Prayers Go Unanswered

Posted on October 22, 2008 - by Judy Wolf

By Judy Wolf — In the children’s hospital in Salt Lake City, there is a small meditation room where one can have a quiet “heart-to-heart” talk with God. Families are encouraged to release worries about their children’s health by writing a note to God and placing it in a Native American “burden basket.” Periodically, the notes are burned by the chaplain, a symbolic letting go of one’s burdens, turning them over to God. In 2001, I became a devout member of the Burden Basket society when my oldest son, Joe, then 13, was hit by a car while crossing the […]

You Know You’re a Widow When…

Posted on October 21, 2008 - by Linda Della-Donna

By Linda Della Donna — You know you’re a widow when… At the end of a good day, you bust out crying for no particular reason. At the end of a bad day, you burst out laughing for no particular reason. At the end of everyday, you crawl into bed and sleep on His side. You refuse to throw away His toothbrush, His razor, His bar of soap, because you think He’ll need them. The sight of His bathrobe hanging on a hook on the back of the bathroom door reduces you to tears, but you refuse to throw it […]

Take Advantage of Holiday Opportunities

Posted on October 20, 2008 - by Diana Doyle

By Diana Doyle – Holiday times are an obstacle course of emotions for anyone trapped in grief. For me, having lost a daughter, sister and mother in recent years, the feelings of sadness and heartache usually start as soon as the stores fill their aisles with sparkling decorations, fancy costumes or cards. To anyone who has lost a loved one, these times are a strange blend of sorrow and joy. We only had five Christmases with our daughter Savannah, which will never be enough. Nor will the New Year’s Eves we spent with my sister and our children and families. […]

Have You Taken Caregiving Too Far For Your Own Good?

Posted on October 17, 2008 - by Carol O'Dell

I was recently at an event where a woman received the caregiver of the year award for her community. Her daughter wrote a lovely letter about all her mother did for her mother. The list started at about 5am and ended about midnight–with frequent middle of the night interruptions as well. The list went on and on. Daily baths, attention paid to her mother’s nails, lotions, pulling chin hairs…on and on and on. She got a standing ovation, but my heart ached for her. She was in her early 50s and looked in her late 70s. She was smiling but […]