Coping with Loss: A Reinterpretation of Father’s Day June 22, 2015 • 0 Comments As far as holidays go, Father’s Day presents a certain kind of challenge. Living in this culture of mass marketed and manufactured “celebration” days, it is somewhat hard to escape. Don’t get me wrong — I adore holidays and the way they create a space for expressing sentiments that should really be expressed on a daily basis. I just don’t…
Suicide Support: A Letter to Healing Souls October 27, 2014 • 0 Comments Dear Gorgeous Healing Soul: You possess extraordinary innate healing capacities. I know this to be true because I have discovered it for myself during my zig-zag journey through loss over the last four years, as I shifted from a wounded being, curled up in a ball, to a human standing on her own, breathing deeply and welcoming the uncertainty that…
The Importance of Wayfinding After Losing a Loved One October 17, 2014 • 0 Comments I have mentioned I am working on a book and as I get deeper into the process of editing and writing, and more writing then editing, I continue to be intrigued by how much one can learn about themselves when putting pen to paper. I still have many pages to journey through before arriving at the threshold of a published book,…
Talking About Suicide for Healing September 1, 2014 • 0 Comments As a result of Robin Williams’ suicide, I have had quite a few requests for radio interviews. I really enjoy them because it is interesting to hear what people are curious about in regards to this subject. Common themes have emerged and there have been a few probing questions that have really made me stop in my tracks. Suicide is…
A Forensic Exploration Into Understanding Suicide August 22, 2014 • 2 Comments I have been pondering suicide from a more forensic point of view, trying to understand what it is that makes the subject so very difficult for us to explore and discuss in a way that will ultimately be healing and expansive on both the collective, and individual, levels. This exploration has grown out of the soil of my own discomfort…
Reinventing Your Life After Loss: The Heartbeat of Devotion May 21, 2014 • 2 Comments One of the remarkable things I remember the most about those first few moments and days was my heart, as though it was pounding its way out of my chest. No amount of Xanax could slow it down. As revelations came to light about my life and shards of the facade fell away, it was my heartbeat that I could…
Suicide Resources: Section 504 Support for Children April 8, 2014 • 0 Comments If you are navigating the aftermath of a parent suicide and have school age children, I strongly recommend pursuing Section 504 accommodations as a safety net for them. Simply put, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act guarantees certain rights to people with disabilities and applies to any agency receiving federal funds, such as a school. A child dealing with the…
Life After Suicide: Reflections on Healing & the Suicide Epidemic March 21, 2014 • 2 Comments The news has been full of rather grim stories lately. Although I’m not one to watch much television, I got hooked a couple weeks ago trying to learn a bit more about Oscar Pistorius. After a week of obsessing over the mysterious disappearance of the Malaysian jet, my thoughts have turned to the family of L’Wren Scott. I have to…
Parenting Through Grief: The Beauty of Resilience April 29, 2013 • 0 Comments One of the most challenging parts of my journey has been the feeling that I have lost precious time with my children during these last two and a half years. Although I am powerless to change that fact, perhaps it is what inspires me to find the silver lining in the mess. It gives me a sense of recapturing the…
After a Suicide: My Unplanned Midlife Freefall March 25, 2013 • 2 Comments I am spellbound by pictures of rock climbers crawling their way up ninety-degree cliffs. The photos always make me think of video’s where the climber is falling, but suddenly the tethered rope halts them from plummeting to the ground. It’s a weird stream of consciousness thing, possibly triggered by my fear of rock climbing. I crawled my way out and…