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…
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,…
Unearth Your Inner Compass and Find Your Passion August 20, 2014 • 3 Comments I first posted this over a year ago and when I re-read it I thought a reprise would be appropriate because my daughter has a job at a cool salon and this past week moved into a house. I couldn’t be more proud of her. When our lives intersected with the events in 2010, all the plans we had been…
On Robin Williams’ Death and the Suicide Epidemic August 18, 2014 • 7 Comments Robin Williams’ death, and the subsequent media storm, rendered me wordless last week. I tried to write, but couldn’t find words to express the sadness I felt. From the moment I heard about his suicide, I was lulled into a kind of trance, watching the media swirl around, offering up vacuous commentary and opinions. Why did a news feed need…
My Story, Your Story: On Coping with Loss and Beginning Again July 18, 2014 • 17 Comments I have been revisiting some of my blog posts this summer and when I came across this one I knew I had to re-post it. I wrote it at the beginning of this blogging journey. It clearly details my “why” and comes straight from my broken heart and wounded soul. I needed to be reminded of these precious things and…
Talking to Children About Death: Healing and Conversation June 23, 2014 • 2 Comments Last week I had the opportunity to share my story with a wonderful group of people who graciously allowed me to unfurl before them. I really enjoy this kind of interaction with small groups. Answering questions forces me to dig deeper into what I have learned and how it might apply to the others dealing with loss. It is very…
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…
Emotional Healing: The Benefits of Honoring Emotions May 5, 2014 • 2 Comments I used to love driving my kids to and from school. Elementary school was fairly close, but for middle and high school, I was one of those parents who chose schools that required going the distance. As it turned out, those long drives were encapsulated moments of amazing connection and discovery. The time was precious — we were enclosed in…
Suicide Chat: Making the Topic of Suicide Less Taboo May 2, 2014 • 0 Comments “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because…
Suicide Awareness: Thinking and Speaking of Suicide April 14, 2014 • 2 Comments As suicide rates continue to climb, I have to think that perhaps the way we think and talk (or not talk) about it are not working. Having spent the last four years acclimating to being a part of this culture, I have fully experienced its taboo nature and the way people emotionally retreat in its presence. It is, without a…