Grief Digest Articles

My Second Chance at Love after the loss of my first loveIn the midst of heartache, I struggled everyday to keep a smile on my face. It had been 30 years since my first love had died, and I still could not get through the day without crying. “Why?” I would ask myself, slumped over the bathroom sink, in the morning getting ready for work. “Why am I still dealing with this heartache?” I would then pull myself together and go to work, and go about my day, moving forward until again, something remind …

Little did I think Joy would enter my life again after burying my two oldest children, 19-year-old Peggy and 21-year-old Denis, following a freak car accident while they were on summer vacation from college. Peggy died instantly and we thought Denis would make it, but he died the day after we buried Peggy, and we began our preparations for a second funeral in one week.My remaining child Annie left for college as a freshman 3 weeks later, so our home was very empty. Deafening silence haunted us. …

Through the last few months you have been processing the loss of your loved ones in many ways. In the daily activities you shared, in the smells that remind you of your loved one, even in public when you catch a glimpse of the families still together and you are alone. You have more than likely gone from a state of shock and numbness to raw emotion that you felt would never stop.It is in looking back that you can see the progress you have made. The mornings may not seem as surreal with your init …

He would’ve been 36 today.Even after six and a half years, anniversaries of any kind are difficult. When we love people, we memorize dates that are important, that honor them or our relationship. After they die, those dates become hurdles, often lined with “I should” statements.I’ve found anticipation is often worse than the actual day, I’ve been thinking all week about what I should/want/need to do for James today. I could:• make his favorite foods: cheesy potatoes, Parmesan chicken, brownies• …

They’re still there, the birds that roost in the open spaces of the letters in the grocery store sign.Only a handful of times has a natural smile bloomed onto my face in the past three months. It unfolded very carefully, though without hesitation. The delicate petals of some pretty pink flower unfurled to reveal a reminiscent peace that my body had forgotten about.I hadn’t noticed them at all the last few times I tried to come here. I had forgotten the solace they used to bring, on my menial tri …