Grief Digest Articles

When I was born, after penicillin but before the Internet, death and grief were shrouded in euphemism. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross changed that when she published “On Death and Dying” in 1969. She observed her terminal patients go through a five-step process: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. Yet in practice, patients were denied knowledge of their impending death. Heroic doctors doing the utmost bankrupted families and degraded the end-of-life quality for the patient. Kübler-Ross wan …

Little whispers in the night,as I lay beside her bed.I strained so hard to hear the words;what had my Mama said?Were they words reflecting a time long past;with her parents on the farm?Or a time when she had little ones;keeping them from harm?Some of it was gibberish,but within the gentle sound;was comfort knowing she was here –in this moment – Now!I’ve left her room, it’s time to go;now I am homeward bound,So high above the billowing clouds,where glimpses of Heaven are found.Where her soul may …

A child full of wonder sits on my knee.She asks, “Where has he gone? Where can my pap be?”I hug her and smile, knowing just what to say.“It isn’t the same, but he’s not far away.Heaven’s for real, and Pap’s there now you see,and someday we’ll be with him, you and me.”Her eyes become drowsy; a smile on her face.She says, “I bet that Heaven’s a really nice place.”I sit back content and pray God would startplanting seeds of His love right there in her heart.She drifts off to sleep, so precious to m …

I see fun, I see laughterI feel secrets and wonderI see rollercoasters and tagI feel a darkside and thunderWhat is this called?A see-saw it feelsI am so high in the skyNow in the ground I am sealedWhere are you?Where did you go?That was so much fun we hadSo why do I feel so low?I am waitingWhy aren't you here?The rollercoaster was funSo why am I now scared?You disappeared, it's just meI feel the ride slowing downI will stay on awhileAnd keep looking for you all aroundBy: Amy Conahan©2019About th …

Have you ever thought of this world as a casket?Casket originally meant a small box for jewels or jewelry. It is a storage and repository for valuables. Then, over time, the usage of the word shifted to refer to a coffin, a storage and repository for corpses: a death-casket. This is likely our primary exposure to the term casket: a storage and housing for dead bodies.Now, we may be more ready to explore how this planet is a casket world.Jewelry boxWe’ll begin with the more pleasant analogy.For m …