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From Feeling to Filling the Empty Nest

Posted on September 24, 2019 - by Annah Elizabeth

Those late summer and early fall months are filled with all things back-to-school shopping, which can also usher in a barrage of emotions for children and adults alike. It is a time that incites growth and change, independence and uncertainty, excitement and anxiety, and pride and worry, to name a few. It is not uncommon for people of all ages to feel a little lost, wondering where and how they are going to fit in in their new roles and environments, and feeling a little unsteady as they transition into a new Life Phase. As parents, our lives are often […]

Own Your Grief

Posted on September 19, 2019 - by Catherine McNulty

An excerpt from Catherine McNulty’s book, The Gifts of Grief. “Grief is not something to survive or a disease to cure. It is a universal human emotion and an opportunity to deepen self-awareness, re-evaluate what’s truly important, and take action to bring meaning into your life.” Although grief is an emotion everyone goes through, each one of us goes through it in a different way. It seems like we all think that grief is something that we can escape; until it happens to us. We’re told by the books that we read and advice that we get from others, that […]

Grief Coaches and Therapist Can Help

Posted on September 12, 2019 - by Catherine McNulty

An excerpt from Catherine McNulty’s book, The Gifts of Grief. “You are not alone.” The intensity of the grief we experience is a result of the love and connection we have with someone else. Understanding that connection and how it relates to who we are is what matters. This is best done with a personal coach or guide. Whether a death occurred in your life recently, or you’ve been holding on to grief for a long time, I encourage you to go out and hire a Grief Coach. Finding a way to connect to someone who can help you can […]

Can You Grieve for a Place?

Posted on September 6, 2019 - by Harriet Hodgson

My husband and I are moving in a month. He is paraplegic. I’m recovering from open heart surgery and have a pig valve in my heart. These factors made us decide to move to a place with support services. We are leaving our wheelchair-friendly town home and moving to a senior living community. Though the decision is the right one, when I look around our town home I feel sad. I grieve for a lost lifestyle. Our apartment is in the independent living part of the building, yet we won’t be totally independent. Wherever we go, we will be surrounded […]

Don’t Give in To Despair

Posted on September 5, 2019 - by Catherine McNulty

An excerpt from Catherine McNulty’s book, The Gifts of Grief. I encourage you to be strong. Christina Rasmussen said, “Life after loss is choosing to start over when you would rather not.” I want to encourage you to stop hiding from the grief that has come to you. Hold on to my promise that gifts are coming into your life through this grieving process. Grief is not something you need to fall victim to and you don’t need to tell yourself that there is nothing you can do now. Take the time you need to grieve, but when you are […]

Returning to ‘Single’ after the Loss of a Spouse

Posted on August 31, 2019 - by Peggy Bell

Excerpt from Life After Loss For Widows: Lifting the Veil of Grief I remember this one incident so well. A little over a year after losing Randy, I was enrolling for an upcoming retreat at our church. I had gone in the afternoon. The church was open for those who wanted to drop in and sign up. There was no one there when I went. I started filling out the paperwork. Then I got to the part that asked me to circle my marital status. The choices were: “M” for married, “S” for single, or “D” for divorced. At that […]

A Southern Baptist Family’s First Cremation

Posted on August 31, 2019 - by Tracey Wallace

By 2040, they say more than 80% of Americans will be cremated. Also, more than 53% of us choose that over burial. And while for some this may seem normal and natural, for others, like my Southern Baptist family, this is a huge shift. On July 2, 2015, my stepfather had a massive heart attack while driving back to work from his lunch break. He pulled over to the side of the road, and died. It would be hours until we could find him, given he’d chosen a route on a backcountry road rather than a highway. His death sent […]

How to Become a Grief Warrior

Posted on August 31, 2019 - by Catherine McNulty

To survive the loss of a child takes strength, tenacity, and perseverance. If you’ve lost a child, you know it is the hardest thing you may ever face. Watching my son take his final breath was a debilitating experience that shattered my world and left me wondering if I could physically survive the intensity of so much pain. Every moment without him was a struggle for my own survival. I didn’t know if I could do it. I didn’t know how to live my life without him. I didn’t want to live without him. I was hopeless and in despair […]

Widowers Need To Step Out of The Shadows and Into the Light of Day

Posted on August 31, 2019 - by Herb Knoll

Grieving men are misunderstood. And for a good reason. After all, men don’t believe they have permission to grieve in the first place. When a man experiences a loss, they frequently resort to their primitive behaviors, suggesting to those who will listen, “I’m fine,” Oh really? Is that why you sit in front of your TV, endlessly watching programming you have little to no interest in watching, frequently falling asleep in your darkened home, and your half-finished pre-fab frozen dinner resting on your belly. Is that how you define “fine?” I can relate. For months following the passing of my […]

Suddenly This Summer

Posted on August 23, 2019 - by Carol Henderson

On the evening of July 4th, 2019, I was sitting with my daughter Olivia and my son-in-law Patrick on their small New York City apartment terrace. In the far distance, the sky brightened in smudges of pastels as the fireworks boomed. Olivia said in a hushed voice, “I just wonder, where is she? Where is Stella?” She was talking about her dog, her soulful pet/baby Stella, an abused rescue Bichon-mix Patrick and Olivia had saved nine years ago. The little white dog was utterly devoted, followed Olivia around the apartment, spent hours, days, on Olivia’s lap, and whimpered when either […]