Grief Digest Articles

By Keith BettingerA tree may still grow in Brooklyn, but the Survivor Tree survives at the World Trade Center.On September 11th, 2001 343 New York City firefighters, 70 police officers and countless civilians died in a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.Also lost were five tremendous buildings, many surrounding businesses and the exquisite gardens that lent to the beauty of what was once the World Trade Center.Amongst the debris, standing battered and bruised within the World Tra …

Tim KoechlinI dreamed that I saw Alex. He was a tiny curious round-headed toddler with jam on his face who loved me totally and asked if he could sit with me. I said "Yes... but let's wipe your face."I dreamed that I saw Alex. He was a tiny round-headed toddler with a furrowed brow, about to have a tantrum.I dreamed that I saw Alex. He was 7 or 10 or 12 or 24 or 32. He wondered if I wanted to have a catch.I dreamed that I saw Alex. He was walking down Caroline Street, from the bus stop to …

I am on that long walk home. You ran ahead of me and your footsteps now echo the journey I must follow... Terri DreismeierSecluded This First YearI am bitterly cold; the brutality of the winds was relentless. The stone black walls that surrounded me began to crumble. The black clock of death has visited. I am petrified. I am paralyzed. I am an âme damnée. “Save my son,” I pleaded. Tears streaming down my cheeks, my cold hands covered my fatigued and swollen eyes. I collapsed to my kn …

Recently I was with a woman who had lost her husband a few years ago. She was apologizing for some tears that she wiped away as she expressed some sweet thoughts about her husband.As I listened, I wondered if sometimes guilt tags along with our grief. Feeling bad about grieving seems dichotomous.This is a tender place to be grieving because we loved someone who is no longer here and believing we “should” no longer feel something and then feeling guilty because we feel bad. In our culture a …

Geralyn Stephens-Gunn, EdDIt’s my birthday! It is a beautiful July summer day and I am so excited to see what the day holds. I arise. I fed and let the dogs out. Once they are situated, I begin my preparation for breakfast. For the past 26 years, the most lovely Hallmark greeting card, with the gold seal, would greet me on the kitchen counter. I look everywhere for it. I opened every drawer, cabinet and even the refrigerator and freezer. It was not in the oven or microwave. My birthday car …