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Grief and Loss Articles
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- Memorial Stories and Poems - "Leading Aircraftman John Matthies" - by Submitted on Apr 11, 2014 from Ken MatthiesFor those of you who don’t know me, my name is Ken Matthies, retired Canadian Forces Northern Ranger. I’m also John’s youngest brother, come down from the Yukon Territory to love, honor and pay tribute to him in my own special way at his passing. I have a story about John to share with you ...
Views: 1347 - MEMORIES - by Fond memories,
On occasion still fresh in my mind.
Memories of time spent -- now gone,
And activites shared -- no more.
Fond memories,
Of joy and, yes, of sorrow --
The reminiscing of your presence in my life,
Remembering the quite times when words failed.
Memories of just being together
In a ...
Views: 902 - Memories filled with regrets - by Submitted on Jun 04, 2018 from David HarmAs I have grown in years, I am ashamed of some of the things I have done. So ashamed that to mention them right now would take more than a simple story to explain. I’m not even sure if I could explain it all in a book. In fact, I’m not sure if I would even believe the explanation. What I ...
Views: 1445 - Methods To Take Back Control Of Your Life - by Submitted on Aug 30, 2012 from David HamiltonUnpredictable circumstances in life can make us feel as though the results of our actions are beyond our immediate influence. Events including job loss, death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or even a car accident can leave us feeling helpless: as though the reigns have slipped away ...
Views: 1975 - Mid Life Crisis and Self Worth - by Submitted on Jun 22, 2012 from Richard KuhnsOften we think of a mid life crisis striking in the middle of one's life. And maybe it's called middle life crisis because that's when most of them strike. Yet today, that age could range easily between 30 and 60 years of age. Carl Jung, psychologist, described the middle age crisis as part and ...
Views: 3840 - Mind the Gap: Living in the Space Between Loss and Healing - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2010 from Beth PattersonOne of the most difficult phases in any life transition is the space of the unknown between a loss or change, and healing or new beginning. All life changes, even positive ones, entail a sense of loss or grief. For example, there is a sense of loss in giving up addictive behaviors like ...
Views: 1507 - Miscarriage- Awareness & Support - by Submitted on Nov 20, 2007 from Ellen DuBoisNever would I have dreamed that nearly sixteen-years after my own miscarriage, I'd be the author of a book about miscarriage, healing and recovery, and host of a website which helps women, and their families, who have suffered either one miscarriage-or more than one. Yet, here I am, reading ...
Views: 870 - Missing, or Missing Out? - by Submitted on Dec 15, 2008 from Linda MorneauIt is at special times, a birthday, anniversary, or just the holiday season when the changes in our lives become like elephants in the room. We can’t seem to stop thinking about the loved ones who are missing from our lives. We are constantly dealing with how our lives have changed and how we ...
Views: 1060 - Mother's Blueprint - by Submitted on May 27, 2023 from Dr. Sonara Carter-BarberMother’s Blueprint The role of a mother is critical. One cannot deny the influence they have on their children. April 28th was the fourth anniversary of my mother’s passing. Time has helped to heal part of my crushed heart. I am determined to celebrate her regardless of the pain. The day ...
Views: 477 - Motherless Daughter's Day - by Submitted on May 24, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsEvery year, since l996, women who have lost their mothers gather to honor their Mother’s memory and to support each other through the difficult Mother’s Day weekend. When your Mom is dead there is nothing like Mother’s Day to remind you of just how much you have lost and how painful that loss ...
Views: 2692 - Mothers in the Military - by Submitted on May 14, 2014 from Abigail FazelatMothers are normally military minorities. Sure, women in general are gaining more recognition in the military, but surely many people forget that a large majority of these women are mothers as well as national heroes. However, balancing these two identities is hardly ever easy. One military ...
Views: 1646 - Music: Can Music Trigger Grief? - by Submitted on Dec 28, 2014 from Oliver JR CooperIn some shape or form, music has been around for thousands of years and while there are styles around today that weren’t around in the past, it still has the same effect. When it comes to making music today, electrical equipment is often used and this has allowed people to create sounds that ...
Views: 1855 - Musings on Funerals and Memorial Services, with a Sense of Love - by Submitted on Apr 24, 2009 from Suzanne Kyra"Funerals or memorial services are the final, formal celebration of a person’s life. They are universal rituals of love that incorporate a final good-bye." --Suzanne Kyra At funerals and memorial services, I have appreciated how the deceased and the deceased loved ones have been honored and ...
Views: 1021 - My Friend is Shattered by Widowhood - by Submitted on May 27, 2009 from Elsabe SmitThere are few life events that are as life-shattering as suddenly becoming widowed – especially if you are not yet at the right age (whatever that may be) to become widowed. Dealing with the practical arrangements of a funeral or cremation and the paperwork related to the estate are often the ...
Views: 1497 - Navigating Grief with Help from a Rescue Pet - by Submitted on Jan 13, 2020 from Carol NovelloThe shape bereavement takes is unique to each person experiencing it. It depends greatly on who (or what) you lost and how you lost them. It cuts deeper and can be more difficult to process when a death is sudden, when someone takes their own life, or when you lose a child or the person (or ...
Views: 1145 - Navigating the Journey of Loss: The Uniqueness of Losing a Spouse - by Submitted on Mar 25, 2024 from Kay FontanaLosing a spouse is a profoundly personal and emotional experience that reshapes every aspect of our lives. This significant loss brings with it a unique set of challenges, emotional complexities, and unexpected transitions. By exploring the multifaceted nature of this journey, we can shed light ...
Views: 304 - Not Forgotten – Remembering Folks Long After a Trauma or Death - by Submitted on Apr 28, 2014 from Allidah Hicks Bonnie KnutiWhether it’s the anniversary of a public event like the Boston Marathon bombings or the Columbine shootings, or a not-so-public anniversary of a friend or neighbor’s tragedy, it’s important to reach out and show that you have not forgotten. Many folks will jump in to help right away and that is ...
Views: 1777 - Now That You Know About the Marker Stones, What’s Helping You Heal Today? - by Submitted on Apr 10, 2014 from Ken Matthies“HeartSpun Talk from the Crucible of Experience”© From the life of Ken Matthies - Author, Poet, Real Life Storyteller The journey of your healing from loss, grief and bereavement will continue for you through a lifetime of learning – and from my own experience of having gone through it ...
Views: 1092 - On Becoming A Widow - by Submitted on Jan 10, 2008 from Elaine WilliamsI became a widow at forty-seven years of age. I'd always thought my husband and I would be together forever, or at least a lot longer than twenty years. We have three boys, who at the time were eleven, eighteen and nineteen. When the reality of my situation sank in, I ran the gamut of ...
Views: 961 - On Becoming A Widow - by Submitted on Jan 21, 2008 from Elaine WilliamsI became a widow at forty-seven years of age. I'd always thought my husband and I would be together forever, or at least a lot longer than the twenty years we had. In that time frame we had three boys, who at the time of his passing were eleven, eighteen and nineteen years of age. When the ...
Views: 1132 - On Coping with Death… Now imagine you are a child. - by Submitted on Mar 11, 2006 from Gary DirenfeldOn Coping with Death… Death. It hits hard and with a loved one, no matter what the preparation, the loss is heartfelt. Now imagine you are a child. Coping with the death of a parent in childhood will be different depending on the age of the child and the nature of the relationship. While all ...
Views: 1661 - Outlets for Emotional Pain When Grieving - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2009 from Louis LaGrandPain, whether emotional or physical, is a condition of existence. No matter what your station in life, you are bound to confront relationship separations, work conflicts, medical difficulties, or the death of a loved one. No one escapes these circumstances of life and the pain they ...
Views: 5618 - Passing On: A Father's Enduring Love - by Submitted on Sep 04, 2009 from Jelaila StarrMy father was diagnosed with cancer in October, 2008. Up to that time he had been very healthy. Normally energetic and active, he fought the cancer with gusto. Still, the cancer won and my father passed away in the early morning hours of on Sunday, March 8th, less than 6 months later. I had ...
Views: 1632 - Passing On: A Time of Lessons and Blessings - by Submitted on Sep 04, 2009 from Jelaila StarrThe ancients have said that this time we are in now would be one of great pain and suffering. One only has to turn on the TV or read the newspaper to know that we are seeing the fulfillment of their words. In the midst of such pain it is easy to loose sight of the goal. As the higher perspective ...
Views: 1416 - Passing On: Playing the Dark Role - by Submitted on Sep 04, 2009 from Jelaila StarrDuring these times of great change, it seems that every day brings another opportunity to learn from the painful challenges that come our way. In some cases several lessons are learned through the same challenge. Such has been the case with the passing of my father and the circumstances ...
Views: 1482 - Pet Loss: Is It Normal To Experience Loss When A Pet Dies? - by Submitted on Apr 25, 2016 from Oliver JR CooperIf someone was to lose a family member or a close friend, it can be seen as something that will have a bigger impact on them than if they were to lose a pet. Based on this, if they were to experience life differently it could be said that something isn’t right. Loss Thus, if one was to ...
Views: 1471 - Poem Entited Time - by Submitted on Jul 12, 2009 from Pam BrownIt’s difficult to say goodbye When love so long has lived The days and hours and memories shared Bring sadness home to bid I knew this day would come Although I tried to make it not When one of us would part And leave the other caught And though we talked about those times I ...
Views: 1011 - Positive Thinking: Can Positive Thinking Stop Someone From Being Able To Grieve? - by Submitted on Nov 12, 2015 from Oliver JR CooperWhen someone experiences loss, their whole experience of life can change, and when this happens, it is not going to be possible for them to carry on as normal. The thoughts in their mind and the emotions in their body can be different, and the meaning of their life could also have altered. ...
Views: 1659 - Practical Spirituality and the Season of Lights - by Submitted on Nov 23, 2010 from John GilmoreIt is almost winter again. December is the last month of the year when most of the Season of Lights Festivals are celebrated. These festivals celebrate the fact that the light only begins to return to its full strength again when the seasons are darkest, the night is the longest, and the ...
Views: 1365 - Practical ways to deal with your grief - by Submitted on Mar 14, 2007 from Cheryline LawsonThere are no magical methods or definitive answers on how to deal with grief. However, with each other’s experience from grief healing, it is possible to help each other in those times when we are having a difficult time. My experience with grief has helped me to assist others throughout ...
Views: 1277 - Quantum Leap Healing through Community - by Submitted on Sep 22, 2012 from Karen Mehringer, MAAre you someone who has experienced loss? Do you find yourself grieving alone or suppressing your feelings altogether? If so, you may be afraid of burdening friends and family with your grief. Or, perhaps you feel like no one understands what you are going through, so you hide your deepest ...
Views: 1852 - Question Regarding Dying Mother - by Submitted on May 29, 2007 from Gloria WendroffDear God, I am in Boston helping to care for my mother who is very ill in the hospital. Some days she is so negative that I feel beside myself. When this negativity is intense, it feels like I cringe to the core of my Being. My sister feels herself going into a black hole, and all of her ...
Views: 1880 - Rachel Getting Married - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2009 from Cindy KludtI have touched on the complexities of grief issues before, but the movie "Rachel Getting Married" shows it so well. For those of you who have not seen the movie, I will give a short synopsis. Kym is a twenty plus woman who is leaving her rehab residential care unit to come home for her ...
Views: 2987 - Recovering From Abuse; Is It Possible? - by Submitted on Nov 02, 2010 from Esther AdlerSpousal abuse is devastating in every aspect. It creates deep wounds in the abuser, abused and anyone within close proximity to the experience. As a child, I not only witnessed my mother being abused by my father, but I too was severly abused. The violence created survival instincts so intense, ...
Views: 1959 - Relationship Grief - by Submitted on Feb 18, 2009 from Maurice TurmelBreaking up with your lover, partner or spouse is a major event in your life. The consequences are not much different than losing a loved one through death. A relationship breakup is a death of sorts, the death of possibilities, a future together and plans that were spun around during your ...
Views: 1390 - Releasing The Pain - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2012 from Trudy-Ann EwanEach day that we awaken is a new day to take our lives forward. It is an opportunity to create something new, something fresh. No matter what you have gone thru, no matter how painful, how heart-wrenching, you don’t have to be in that situation forever. You do not have to be in pain forever. ...
Views: 1661 - Relief After Loss? - by Submitted on Oct 06, 2008 from Martha ThayerI have talked with countless people who have felt a relief when their loved one died. Relief their loved one was no longer in pain, relief that they didn’t have to visit that nursing home anymore and all it entailed, relief that their loved one is “in a better place.” However, the partner to ...
Views: 1173 - Remedies for Eco-Anxiety and Absorbing the Pain of the World - by Submitted on Jul 21, 2019 from Sheryl PaulThe topic of world and eco-anxiety seems to make the rounds in my practice every few months, and last week was one of those times. Between longterm clients, new clients, and course members, the theme was flooding the room. I’d like to break it down for you using the principles of my work to see ...
Views: 1034 - Robin William's, the whole trip to Oz - by Submitted on Nov 17, 2014 from Adele McDowellThe shocking news of Robin Williams’ suicide has left us all heartbroken and reeling. Robin’s death seems so antithetical to the Robin we saw brimming with life. He took on the world with his cutting-edge humor and supersonic mind. He was a trip unto himself. We would stay up late knowing ...
Views: 1351 - Roseburg, Then and Now - by Submitted on Jan 30, 2018 from Sherry JoinerI grew up in the small city of Roseburg. Officially, I moved to Roseburg to its rolling green hills, from Salt Lake City, where I used to float in the Great Salt Lake when I was 10. In my 4th grade, I, and other students, participated in Roseburg’s Centennial where we dressed up like Sacajawea, ...
Views: 1288 - Sandwich Generation Tough Choices - by Submitted on Mar 28, 2019 from Christy YatesA few months ago, I was with a group of friends, and while talking with two women, I learned how one was now caring for her Mother In Law. It was a change in plans for her and her husband, and it meant putting some things on hold. The other friend talked about how her mother would likely come ...
Views: 1064 - Seven Beliefs That Will Help You Cope With The Death Of Your Loved One - by Submitted on May 29, 2008 from Louis LaGrandThoughts and beliefs—both of which are choices you make—are the underpinnings of the attitude you take toward loss. They are the major factors in how you will cope with your loss and to what extent you will experience additional and unnecessary suffering. Regrettably, many of us have been ...
Views: 1524 - Should We Grieve? - by Submitted on May 15, 2009 from James EinertShould we grieve? The Bible says we should cry at birth and rejoice at death. So should we grieve? Webster’s Dictionary gives grief the following definition, “Deep and poignant distress caused by or as by bereavement.” It also calls it suffering. So should we grieve? First, let me say I ...
Views: 2305 - Sibling Loss - A Personal Perspective - by Submitted on Feb 11, 2011 from Tabitha JayneI can still remember the call that told me my younger brother was dead. It was from my grandmother. Funnily enough I’d been contemplating that my grandparents were getting old and that I needed to prepare myself for their death. I never expected that I would receive a call from them to tell me ...
Views: 1185 - Silent Grief In Women - When Words Are Not Enough - by Submitted on May 21, 2012 from Annette Anderson EnglerGrief echoes a painfully vibrating voice which can be heard from generation to generation. It tells us that there is an absence of life in a world of breath and being. It tells us, as we sink deeper into the chair of sorrow, that our lives will never be the same. The sound of emotional pain and ...
Views: 4090 - Soaring Above The Ashes Of Despair - by Submitted on Oct 30, 2007 from Beth WaddelI have joined the club, no one wants to join. Widow...I am a widow. Sometimes on official forms there is no check box...married, separated, divorced...what am I? No check box for me. Two years ago, my husband of more than 20 years died as a result of surgical error. Yeah, the nightmare of ...
Views: 1269 - Some Things To Remember For The Newly Widowed - by Submitted on Jan 07, 2010 from Menno SpijkstraAfter a that time you buried your beloved husband, you will be called now as newly widowed. But faith will tell you that you would get through it. And here are the 8 things you have to bear in mind not to forget: 1. Do not forget to take good care of yourself-- wash your face, comb your hair, ...
Views: 1427 - Sometimes You Need To Cry - by Submitted on Feb 14, 2008 from Elaine Williams©2008 I recall a period in time, at about 18 months after my husband passed away, that I felt pretty good about myself. I had handled what life had thrown me and come out battered, but mostly okay on the other side. After caretaking my husband for almost a year, I was battling some minor health ...
Views: 1272 - Soul Technology™: "From Grief...To Growth™" - by Submitted on Jun 03, 2008 from Aliah MaJonChanged Self: Is it possible that we can make POSITIVE changes within our selves and our reality even when life is challenging us the MOST or may seem like it is the hardest? Changed Circumstances: Do we have the ability to SHIFT our reality by taking a deeper look with the express intention of ...
Views: 1182 - Stories of the Grieving Process After a Child Dies - “Out of the Mouths of Babes” - by Submitted on Apr 10, 2014 from Ken Matthies“HeartSpun Talk from the Crucible of Experience”© From the life of Ken Matthies - Author, Poet, Real Life Storyteller My granddaughter turned ten years old the other day, and it was as I was calling her to wish her happy birthday that I realized she was already twice as old as the day her ...
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