302 results for 'Losing Todd: A Mother's Journey'

I walk out to my driveway on a routine chore, find to my amazement a glorious, noble raptor. I decide it has just died. It is perfect. I am stunned by its

Thirty years ago, July 12, 1986, a young 29 year old New York City cop, Steven McDonald, was shot and wounded by a troubled teenager while on duty in Central Park, becoming paralyzed from the neck dow

Sweet nectar-- life giving elixirDistilled from flowers that springFrom the graves of our ancestors, our childrenLoved ones buried long ago or short….Hard to accept their leavingBut struggle is the pr

By Heather Hattie-Mae Mahaney Addiction did not arrive in my life like a storm. It crept in quietly, rearranging priorities, softening boundaries, asking for patience it would never return. At

I believe we all know at least one person whose life has been affected by Cancer. I literally know a couple whose lives have. They are my brother & sister in-law whom I’ve known since I was a teenager

If you have hair my color—nearly all white now—you’ll remember this from Bob Dylan and the 60s:“Come gather ‘round people wherever you roam,and admit that the waters around you have grown.And accept t

Before you read this know that, yes...this is a story of great sadness, grave loss, and paralyzing pain. But it is also a story of hope and growth. It is a story of having faith in the fact that the

Shows like Shrinking & Afterlife make real grief the new popular plot threadBy Carole TrottereI don’t want to talk about it. That’s the way grief and loss were handled back on TV in the 1970s with

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 dre

She sat across from me, tears quietly streaming down her face. “I need to know,” she said, “is there really a Heaven? I used to believe in one," she continued, “but since my child died, I need to know

Have you ever stood outside, with your head tilted back and your mouth open wide, trying to catch a snowflake? Snowflakes fall everywhere—on your hair, your chin, your eyelashes, even your nose, and s

REWIND:I wrote a similar article many years ago, but since the recent death of my husband, I have a new perspective now. I thought I learned so much about grief that I could recite what’s normal ab

At times it seems like the negative thoughts and sadness are taking a toll on me and I start to wonder if my mind and heart will ever find peace. Suddenly, I finally find an unknown source of inner ca

My daughter Randi’s life and the suicidal hell that led to her death are carved into my bones as if into marble. At thirteen, her jaw had been shattered by a horse and irreparably damaged. There were

Remember them.Say their name out loud.Close your eyes, quiet your mind and breathe. Call them to you.Picture them at their best…Their eyesTheir smileTheir laughTalk to them… tell them how you miss the

By Elaine E. Stillwell, M.A., M.S.Getting Back to Work is a tough transition for many parents following the death of their child. Worried about feeling strong enough, being able to concentrate, contro

Audible breath; others can hear you breathing.A sign, a speech, perhaps a song.It was a hard road, even bloody at times;Sleepless nights, days of daze,Caring for one who was slipping away before your

On January 10, 2007, my family received the most tragic and shocking news of our lives. My nephew, Christopher, had completed suicide. When I received the phone call, I jumped in my car immediately, t

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

For most of us, grief is uncharted territory. When a loved one dies, we enter into some of life’s most turbulent and troubled waters. It is important to find people and resources who can help us find