Living With Grief
Many people feel alone in their grief, not realizing that others have similar thoughts and experiences. These articles are based on personal experience and intended to provide a sense community for those experiencing grief.
I’ll See You in My Dreams
Sitting in grief support groups after my four-year-old daughter drowned in 2009, I kept hearing people relate their frequent dreams featuring their departed loved ones. I listened in silence feeling a mixture of jealousy and frustration knowing that I had not had a single dream of my daughter since she died…
The Worst Has Already Happened
Growing up, I wanted to think I was a “glass half full” kind of person, but the truth is I was always anticipating and worried about the next bad thing that I was sure would happen to me. When the worst thing imaginable happened, it led me to learn the most valuable lesson of my life…
The Club Nobody Wants to Belong To
I am a member of a club I don’t want to belong to. I didn’t voluntarily sign up for it, yet I’m forced to be in it for the rest of my life. The cost of admission to this club was at an impossible price, but it was was taken from me anyway. The price was my child’s life.
Today is a Bad Day
Today is a bad day. It is a day where I feel defeated by grief; defeated by life. It is a day where I feel like crying – and wish that I would so I could let it all out; but the tears don’t come. I feel the pressure behind my eyes, but not enough to break the dam. I’m left with a feeling of heaviness and sadness…
The Keepers of Your Flame
When you died, the whole world did not mourn you. You were not a celebrity; not a world leader. You did not make the nightly news or invent things that changed the world. You will not end up in history books. But you made an indelible mark in our lives and in our hearts…
Forever Four?
Next week will mark the day my daughter would have turned nine years old. But, of course, she’s not nine years old. She only lived for four years. It serves as a painful reminder that I’ve lost the joy of seeing my daughter grow…
The Terms of My Surrender
From the moment you came into my life, I hated you. I despised you. You came on the heels of my worst nightmare come true – the death of my young daughter. I didn’t know your name at the time, but I would wage war on you…
What It’s Like to Lose A Child (The Journey of Bereaved Parents)
A heartfelt glimpse into the unique journey bereaved parents are forced to take after the death of their child.
Forgiveness in Grief
Death often comes suddenly and without warning, and does not give us the chance to heal any old wounds that may exist between us and our loved one. How can we be forgiven if the person we hurt is no longer here to apologize to?
When Death Isn’t Fair
I read about a little three-year-old girl who was killed when a heavy security door fell on her. In what can only be described as a freak, tragic accident, her devastated family is left to wonder “why?” Her death is a palpable reminder that much of the time, death is very unfair.
The Secret to Healing Grief
What is the secret to healing from grief? Over the last few years, I have tried to write about it. I have bared my soul and deepest, darkest feelings and fears in order to try and capture “it” so that others may use it in their own journeys of healing. And yet I’ve never been able to capture its essence in one succinct idea. Until now…
How to Support Someone Who’s Grieving
Like many people, my support of anyone grieving was limited to telling them, “I’m so sorry,” and then trying to put the whole experience out of my mind as soon as the funeral was over. Now that I’ve lost someone close to me, I offer suggestions for different ways to offer support.