Grief Digest Articles
Pilgrimage
I started planting roses and for a few years it
was this peaceful respite that I looked forward to each summer. Radiant petals would bloom, rising out of
cold, lifeless soil bursting into an explosion of color.Early May, I started the cycle again and for
weeks the roses were vibrant and rich with life. My dad died and I realized I was no better at grief than I
had been before. For two days we clung to the tiniest sliver of hope. We showed up, we stood vigil, we prayed,
we cried. I watched m
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Nov 15th 2022
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Unlike Ebenezer Scrooge’s ghost, my “ghost of Christmas past,” didn’t haunt me with bad deeds, greediness or distant memories. Instead, it caused an intense aching pain that validated my loss of dreams. For many holidays after the death of my son, Chad, the ghost of Christmas past could haunt my memories and shake my spirit long before the air was filled with the miracles and magic of the holiday season. The chains that linked me to holidays-gone-by were ever so real.Prior to Chad’s death,
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Nov 15th 2022
Moonlight
As I walked into your bedroom last night
I noticed a bright light on the floor
I know it was you shining down
I laid my hands on the light
The light was translucent
I could see it shining through my fingers
For a moment I felt the warmth
Of your body that once rested there
I know you were telling me
That your spirit is still here
Combining your spirit with mine
In the only way you can
Not wanting to release my touch
Pressing harder and longer
As if fearful that you won't
Vis
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Oct 14th 2022
HOW 35 + YEARS AS A SURVIVOR OF SUICIDE TRANSFORMED ME
Fall of 1986 was a time that most New
Yorkers were filled with pride as the Mets won the world series.For me it was a tumultuous time filled with
uncertainty and extreme shock.On
September 24th my mom, age 46, died by suicide.I can still recall the details of that day
and how my life was forever changed.Equally vivid were the individuals who supported me, embrace me and
influenced me to become the woman I am today.As I reflect upon the decades that
have passed, I contemplate what I have le
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Sep 23rd 2022
Found Poem of a Griever
August 2022(based on Griever voice from the article – A Brief Encounter of the Grief Kind)*Found poem is one where material from existing
piece(s) of writing is selectively pulled and then patched, knitted together to
compose a new piece. Things…died
in me.My heart has
stopped.You wouldn’t believe what
it’s like on some dayswhen I get home and close
the door. I wrestle.Doubts…regrets…restlessness
and exhaustion;stillness in the house gets
to me. Cold.Nothing feels right. Pacing.
Constan
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Sep 8th 2022