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For Grieving Moms: When Others Respond in Hurtful Ways

Posted on May 16, 2018 - by Janice Bell Meisenhelder

Fix-It Friends People feel helpless in the face of your loss of a child. They have an intense need to say something to lessen your pain. They cannot understand that this pain refuses any comfort and must be processed over time to ease. They try to help by saying things that negate your pain, such as: “He’s in a better place,” or “You can have another child.” They may also tell you they know how you feel and compare your loss to their loss of a grandparent, which just feels insulting to you. They may tell you that you […]

Grief is Wild

Posted on May 15, 2018 - by Greg Adams

I recently came across an article with the title “Why You Shouldn’t Trust Your Cat.” The idea presented is that domestic cats are actually only partially domesticated. From a genetic perspective, they are more wild than tame. Not everyone has, or wants, a cat, although millions have and do want at least one. But everyone has losses to grieve, and we grievers know that grief is not domesticated. Grief is wild. Grief is a natural and human response to loss, and it is also wild and untamed. It pays no attention to rules and doesn’t follow directions, a map, […]

Feelin’ Groovy: Connecting with Mom’s Legacy on Mother’s Day

Posted on May 11, 2018 - by Beth Marshall

Ever had a song, a fragrance or box of cereal stir you to tears? It’s been 19 years since my mom’s sudden graduation to heaven. So, how could Mother’s Day week and a song be the catalyst for tears in my grilled chicken tenderloin salad? Sounds like a country music song. This week a classic Simon and Garfunkel tune came to mind, and took me right back to my mom’s living room, playing her rustic upright piano. It was “59th Street Bridge Song” better know as “Feelin’ Groovy.” If you were born after 1970, Google it. This whimsical melody will […]

The Child-Loss Club

Posted on May 8, 2018 - by Danny Mayson-Kinder

I am pretty sure that each and every one of you reading this article has heard the saying, “We have all joined a club, and this is a club that no one ever wanted to belong to.” I beg to differ. I just wish I could have joined this club without having lost my beautiful 12-year-old daughter. But I believe this club would have to be the best group of people that I have ever encountered. The love, the reality, the empathy and the knowing that is part of this “grief club” is like no other. What an incredible group of […]

I Care and Wish You Comfort and Hope: A Mass Shooting Triggers Mother’s Response

Posted on May 7, 2018 - by Mary Jane Cronin

Valentine’s Day has forever been changed in my mind. No longer will I think of flowers, chocolates and the little hearts that say “I love you.” This year, a 19-year-old boy opened fire at a High school in Florida on Valentine’s Day, killing 17 teenagers. These recent shootings are unfortunately nothing new; in 1999, in Columbine, Colorado, two seniors killed 12 of their fellow students. One year earlier in 1998, I received a 2 am phone call, a call that no mother wants to receive. My 16-year-old son had been shot by someone he knew. Immediately, I thought to myself: Should I have said no […]

Every Single Breath

Posted on May 7, 2018 - by Tambre Leighn

The 17th anniversary of my husband’s passing was on my mind in the days leading up to it. Some years, it slipped by me without much notice. Other years, the day brought me to my knees and threatened to be the undoing of me. Grief is like that. This year, I saw it coming. Ticking and tocking it’s way ever closer. How do I want to honor my late husband this year? This is the question I often ask myself. But this year, a dear friend had a different question for me. “What’s one cherished moment you’d like to share […]

My Big Widow Regret: Find Your Tribe

Posted on May 7, 2018 - by Kerry Phillips

At 32 years old, instead of planning my first wedding anniversary celebration, I was planning my husband’s funeral. There were no warnings, no time to say a final goodbye. One day he was here and by the following morning, he was gone. It’s been six years since that fateful day when my world collapsed around me. Some days I marvel at the person I have become post-loss and other days I feel saddened by the person I have become as a result of widowhood. As fiercely independent as I now am, I miss the naivety of my old life, where […]

Death and Rebirth: Making a Home in Your Heart

Posted on May 7, 2018 - by Nina Impala

One of my favorite quotes about the grief journey comes from Rumi, a 13th century theologian and poet: Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life’s search for love and wisdom. I live next to a beautiful and very large cemetery that is more like a park than a cemetery; the grounds are meant to be park-like, no large headstones and the most gorgeous trees. People come to this cemetery for its museums, churches, gorgeous fountains, beautiful meditation gardens and statues. I walk in […]

Bitter or Better – A Choice

Posted on May 3, 2018 - by Harriet Cabelly

I have always been fascinated by how people deal with loss and adversity. I am continuously inspired by those who can go beyond their pain and live engaged, productive and meaningful lives. Therein lies the challenge: how to rebuild a live filled with meaning and joy despite loss and pain. Since we all know that inherent in life and the human condition is loss, the key is not in how to get through life without any pain, but rather, when pain and suffering come knocking on our door, how do we respond to it? Do we succumb and become […]

The Weaving of Love and Loss

Posted on May 3, 2018 - by Mary Jane Hurley Brant

When we open ourselves up to love, we open ourselves up to loss. That is why loss hurts so much – it’s connected to the greatest mystery of all: love. So it’s understandable that the deeper the love we felt for someone the deeper pain goes when they die and leave us. The death of a loved one shocks us physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. After those first four hits, grief arrives and is quickly followed by the mourning process. This process of grieving and mourning a loss is found across cultures. What does that mean? It means that […]