When Grief is New
In the first weeks and months (or sometimes years) after a devastating loss, grief feels overwhelming. If you’re not sure where to even start, read these articles first.
These articles are specific to the feelings and challenges of early grief.
Let Me Help Carry Your Grief
Walk this path alongside me;
I’ll help you navigate your journey.
I can guide and offer you some hope.
Adrift in A Sea of Grief
I am adrift in an endless sea of grief. As I float along, the world continues to go on around me as if I am walking among the bustling crowds–but my feet haven’t touched dry land since September 30, 2009. It was on that day–the day my 4-year-old daughter drowned–I was unwillingly thrust into this watery journey.
5 Basic Truths That Can Help You Through Grief
Grief is universal. Just as you cannot avoid death, you also cannot avoid grief.
While there is no universal timetable or sequence of how we deal with grief as individuals, there are plenty of common themes and reactions to grief. There are also some universal truths about grief — and life itself — that have the ability to help anyone work through the pain of grief.
The Big Lie of Happily Ever After
We first hear it as little kids in our bedtime stories. When we’re older, we see it repeated again and again in countless movies. We’re even told we can buy it in endless advertisements. But it isn’t real. It’s all a big, perverse lie that can do real damage in real lives…
Renaming the Stages of Grief
Many of us have heard about the Stages of Grief. It is a very nice idea that you can break grief down into defined segments that have a clear beginning and end. But what if the stages don’t seem to match our own grief experience?
Grieving a Future I’ll Never Have
When grief is new, it is excruciating and overwhelming. Thankfully, I have healed a lot in the past five years. Now, instead of the intense, searing pain of early grief, I experience the constant reminder of a future I’ll never have…
You’re Not Alone In Your Grief
Grief can be a very isolating experience. But most people grieving the death of a loved one share very common reactions without knowing that others are experiencing the same thing. Here are some of them…
Hiding My Grief Behind the Veil of “Normal”
When you see me, you probably see what you would consider to be a strong person. But most of the time, you don’t really see me. You see me through a veil that I wear that lets you see a version of me that I think you want to see…
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.