562 results for 'from hope to dispair''

By Jenny Leavitt I never expected to lose my child. I don’t think any mother does. When my son Jacob died in a car crash—killed instantly by a drunk driver—my world split wide open.

* Photo by Cheri ThomasRecently, I was asked to say a “few words” to other bereaved parents. My first thought was how does one say a few words when someone loses a child?There are either “no words”, ...

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 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, an ...

There is a haunting graceIn one grief painted face.Pools of eyes adrift with unshed pain.Belie a hope they’ll see their dead again.There is a haunting graceIn one grief painted face.Tracks of tears m ...

By Jackie WatersGrieving is a deeply personal journey, often accompanied by a mix of emotions that can be overwhelming. Amidst the turmoil, setting healthy goals can provide direction and hope. By ...

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 sealedWh ...

What You Need to Know About Participating in OnePrior to the Pandemic, I wrote an article Should I or Shouldn’t I Join a Grief Support Group referring to in-person groups. Our lives have changed sinc ...

Throughout my career, while serving as both a pastor and bereavement specialist, I have helped support thousands of families who were mourning precious loved ones. Sadly, the grief dynamic for indivi ...

It was Tuesday morning, May 23, 2004; the time was 7:00 a.m. The first dad arrived and seated himself at a corner table in the coffee shop of an Indianapolis hotel. A second dad walked into the room, ...

Opening windows, cleaning closets, and tossing out the old stuff to make room for the new has always been a ritual of mine in the early spring. I was so ready for the fresh air of new bright life co ...

There is a thin place between our ordinary daysA place where miracles happen and mystery dwells.How is it that my fragile heart still beatsdespite hurts deeper than physical wounds alone?Someone belo ...

After years of teaching, active participation in my church, service in a grief support program, and five years as a citizen of a retirement home, I am aware of the sadness and distress after the deat ...

The Uncharted Journey of Child LossOn January 4, 1997 Carolyn and I lost our 17-year-old son, Andy, in a car accident. Two weeks later, one of the first suggestions taken from a child-loss bereavemen ...

Never apologize for love. Because that’s what grief is: love.Love is defined as: strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the g ...

What would you giveTo not feel this pain?How much is it worthNot to have to explain?What price would you payTo not shed a tear?What value placed onNot feeling this fear?To feel no more guiltFor no mo ...

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 kno ...

Grief is so very difficult, and grief that refuses to be recognized, is the hardest to deal and cope with. The other day I noticed that one of my classmates was visibly upset. I watched as she would ...

Everybody seems to be using a GPS (Global Positioning System) system in their cars these days to know where they are going and how to get where they want to be. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we berea ...

For two months, my sister Margaret has been in the hospital, in hospice and now a nursing home.I fly to Cincinnati to visit her August, 2016, and to give my 90 year old brother, Chuck, and his daught ...