401 results for 'from hope to dispair''

We gotta stop this somehowthis idea that a personwho is dead is ‘in a better place now’We gotta stop saying that!If they are in a better placethen what in the hell are we doing here?Grief is hard enou

It is November 2014. My mom died almost two years ago. I kind of held my breath thinking that at the one-year mark I would have the strength to “be okay and be ready to move on,” but after two years

StoicLoss has left an indelible imprint on my life; a reality I have not come to easily. Grief is certainly not a linear process; bereavement takes us on many side routes, eventually arriving at a b

By Marilyn LanzaLoss of an egalitarian relationship is how I thought of my husband’s death. Ron and I had a real and consuming relationship based on equality. I was always spontaneous and shared with

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

Social distancing orders may help slow the spread of COVID-19, but these requirements can also leave you feeling lonely and out of touch with the world. If you’re like most people, your favorite ac

Put Your Anger to WorkAnger.It’s the hidden emotion that I must poke around to unveil in my grief counseling. The only other emotion more concealed is relief. But that’s a topic for another day.The ob

Today I saw a ravenAs it quietly flew by.It landed in a treeThat stood nearby.I watched it for a momentWondering if it’s here for me.To take me awayTo set my spirit free.Or maybe it was youSent from a

Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness.It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift. ~Mary Oliver Winter Solstice.The longest night of the year.Grief can feel like the

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

In 2007 four family members died: my elder daughter, father-in-law, brother, and former son-in-law. My daughter Helen was the mother of my twin grandchildren (one boy, one girl) and died from the inju

By Nancy WorleyI needed time alone to work with my thoughts when my mom died.What I did not need was advice. I wanted no company.Getting through and beyond the loss of a beloved is heart breaking and

Having now entered year 2021, this short piece is a reflection on what may be the fullness of the past year and what may be usefully carried into the current one. Perhaps like your own experience, dea

As one who has taught, written, and worked in the death-awareness field for more than forty years, I am expected to be able to manage the many deaths that have occurred in my own life as an “expert.”

The alarming increase in suicide rates during the past decades have forced us to deal differently with an issue that not very long ago, was rarely talked about. According to the Center for Disease Con

The other day I received an email from a friend on Long Island. She wrote and told me about a nightly symphony she hears when she takes her evening walk at 7:00 pm. Every time it’s performed, it bring

Pushing Through Loss in the KitchenMy late husband Mark was ever-patient, flexible with my whims and most generous. These virtues were tested when he had to deal with my thoughts about designing our k

What is grief? The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) defines it as “the normal response of sorrow, emotion, and confusion that comes from losing someone or something important

Written by J. Lewis III (John L. Clark III.) To people dealing with grief, it seems like the world is constantly against them. Honestly, it is not personal; life is an equal-opportunity screw-off.

Pets help carry us through the highs and the lows as we go through life and are often in tune to how we feel during sadness and loss, but they are also in tune with other emotions such as happiness.Th