After Life Connections, Death of a Parent, Open to Hope, Self Care

Communing with the Dead

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

There is a phone booth in the middle of the desert in Joshua Tree. It was installed by Colin Campbell and Gail Lerner in honor of their two children, Ruby and Hart, who died in a 2019 car crash. It lives out there amid the tall cholla cacti and the wind that sweeps circles into the salt and sand. I have been thinking about this telephone lately, of how few spaces we have to offload our grief.   In her book, Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss, Hope Edelman offers a handful of events that she believes have the potential to change […]

Open to Hope, Your Grief

When Grief Leaves Words Unsaid

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

There is a moment that comes for many people after loss. It often doesn’t happen at the funeral. It doesn’t happen during the casseroles or the sympathy cards. It comes later. Maybe it’s when you’re driving. Or folding laundry. Or lying awake at 2:17 a.m. And suddenly you think: “I didn’t say everything I meant to say.” Grief is not only about missing someone. It’s also about the unfinished sentences we carry. The “thank you” that never felt big enough. The “I forgive you” we thought we had more time to offer. The “I’m proud of you” that lived in […]

Bereavement, Open to Hope, Self Care

Keeping Memories Fresh Despite the Passage of Time

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

It’s Spring and you find yourself watching people around you excitedly making plans for their upcoming summer vacations. Instead, what are you doing? You are thinking about how much you miss your loved one. How long has it been? Bereaved people are often asked this question. I ask it of you, “How long has it been?” Now answer this question: “How long does it feel like it’s been?” A common answer is, “On one hand it feels like yesterday. On the other, it feels like a long time ago.” Why do we experience our lives like this? How can something […]

Death of a Grandparent, Death of a Parent, Death of a Sibling, Open to Hope

The Things You Loved Most

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

 Have you ever lost someone close, and in the brain fog of grief, wondered if you might forget some of the things you loved most about them? Their infectious belly laugh, extravagant generosity, or maybe their unconditional love for people? I get it.   Since losing several of my closest and favorite family members- my beloved Mom, Dad, Nana, sister-in-love, Kay, and most recently, my “splendiferous” (his word) brother Mike, I’ve been trying to dig deep and remember exactly what it was that made each of their lives so memorable and magnificent.                           What if you could be the […]

After Life Connections, Bereavement, Death of a Parent, Open to Hope

The Eternal Bond: Daughters Honor Their Mothers On The Other Side

Saturday, April 4, 2026

Death is the eternal mystery, a mystery that fills our souls with both awe and terror. The consequences of the death of one’s mother is not like any other ordeal in life. Daughters are often faced with resurrecting a new life without a road map, catapulted upon the ruins that remain, while enduring indescribable emotional pain. Based on my experience of my mother’s death, and the shared narratives with other daughters, I have spoken with, this journey is both courageous and terrifying.  You will regain your balance, but you will not be the same person. I have never surrendered my […]

After Life Connections, Open to Hope

How To Understand Grief Visions: They Really Are Common

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Grief is part of the human experience; however, the grief of daughters whose mothers have died is particularly significant, especially for older women who were often caretakers during their mother’s end of life.  The components of grief differ widely, and you are the expert on how to navigate this challenging yet sacred journey.  It is important as part of this difficult and often lifelong journey to understand that grief is not limited to ordinary dimensions and that the metaphysical dimension that may often occur after a loved one has passed away may include inner knowing, visions, and dreams.  Often, grievers […]

After Life Connections, Death of a Sibling, Open to Hope

Memories and Messages. Merry Christmas from the Other Side

Saturday, January 3, 2026

Christmas had always been a special time for me. The anticipation of Christmas day – decorating the tree and house, buying presents, beautiful food and spending time with family. But over time, Christmas has lost its sparkle. While I still appreciate the day with people I love – it no longer holds the same energy as years before. The excitement has been replaced more with a time for reflection and a longing for times gone by. Grief has woven her darkness through the tapestry of life with my brother Carl’s passing after a car accident, precious pets transitioning, and long-term […]

Open to Hope, Self Care, Your Grief

The Ash Rose Grief, Art, and Love that Transforms

Thursday, December 25, 2025

In our culture, grief is often something we are expected to move through quietly and efficiently. After the funeral, after the condolences fade, families are handed the ashes of someone they love and then left largely on their own to figure out what healing looks like. There is an unspoken expectation of “closure,” as if love ends where a life does. But what if grief is not something to close, but something to continue? I came to this question through two worlds that have shaped my life – hospice nursing and the arts. As a hospice nurse, I have sat […]

After Life Connections, Death of a Child

More Than Just A Dream

Monday, November 3, 2025

We all dream, though some people say they don’t remember their dreams. Some dreams are pleasant, some are strange, and some are scary. Some are crystal clear, and some are so nebulous that it’s hard to even explain them in words. Some make you wonder what that dream was all about, or if there was any kind of message in there somewhere for you.   But what if a dream of your loved one who has passed away is so clear and tangible that you could swear it was really them?   I have heard about these kinds of dreams […]

After Life Connections, Open to Hope

GRIEF AS A PORTAL TO YOUR LOVED ONE

Thursday, October 16, 2025

The process of transitioning from this realm into another is an experience that you, as the living counterpart, have the honor to participate in and witness. Transitions take place through energy portals. A portal can be described as a way in. As your loved one crossed over, they entered a portal into the spiritual realm specific to them. Your grief holds the opposite portal. Portals exist as gateways and passageways between dimensions that allow Spirits to maneuver in and out of the alternate worlds. These are parallel universes, which exist side by side, and, because these portals have opened, the […]