204 results for 'difficult decisions'

Traditionally, when a loved one dies, we are there to bring them condolences, food, hugs, support, and even caring for children or other tasks. In this era of the pandemic with social distancing, sta ...

By Cheryl NewbanksAfter my son passed away, I did nothing but lay on the couch, lay in my bed, sit and stare, try to absorb the shock, and try to make life, make sense again. I didn’t feel like doing ...

On January 17, 2016 at 1:30 AM I watched my father enter the gates of heaven after a 7 year battle with Stage 4 base of the tongue cancer. While his death was “beautiful” his battle was horrific. My ...

3 Easy Intentions for Bouncing Back by Nan Zastrow “ I love it when they drop the ball in Times Square. It’s a nice reminder of what I did all last year.” Bouncing back after s ...

During more than forty years in the classroom with elementary children and fifteen plus years with children in a grief support program for families, I have seen children’s lives touched with the use ...

A message about suicide by Nan Zastrow, Wausau, WIThis is an encore article. It was published in Grief Digest in 2005 shortly after the death of our son, Chad Zastrow, as a result of suicide. These w ...

I opened my laptop to write one of those difficult emails to myself. And poured a glass of wine.Dear Grief,Please don’t sit with me anymore. You’ve pushed and shoved me until I feel only rage. You’ve ...

My mom died almost seven years ago. My dad died almost three months ago. Mom died with cancer three years after her diagnosis. She relapsed just months after her initial treatment ended. Not consider ...

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.

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 th ...

Emotions reflect that you have special needs that require support from both outside yourself and inside yourself. Becoming familiar with the terrain of these emotions and practicing self-care guideli ...

By Pamela Hoopes, LCSW"Missing" is a feeling associated with some kind of loss. It is an aspect of grief that is inevitable. Missing typically is a quiet, personal, private emotion. For me, it is a d ...

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 c ...

But would you want your grief to really end?At first glance, you might passionately reply, “Are you kidding? Of course I want my grief to end!” But perhaps what we are really saying is we want the hu ...

By Nan ZastrowQuote: “ Someone asked me, “What is your religion?” And I said, “All paths that lead to the light.” Death by suicide is a traumatic event that affects even the strongest families. I th ...

Donna’s spouse died suddenly. It wasn’t supposed to happen, yet, it was all that she could think of as she coped to accept the reality of the event. For months, she was incapacitated by her grief, un ...

When my parents died in 2002, within two weeks of each other, my sisters and I received advice from bereavement counselors and others who had suffered family loss. We were cautioned not to make any s ...

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, contr ...

The dull pain in my heart still comes and goes,Much the way that a tide ebbs and flows.Alone, I endure this anguish and despair;There is no one who comprehends with whom I can share.In my guilt a ...

 Why holidays can be tough times“A grandparent will help you with your buttons, your zippers and your shoelaces and not be in any hurry for you to grow up” Erma BombeckThe American Association o ...