Silence is the source of great strength. -Lao Tzu Step away from the moments in which there are too many voices telling you what to do, how to feel, what to decide, and how to act. Take time to sit in silence every day so that you can meet these demands with aContinue reading "Monday Meditation: The Sound of Silence"
How to Fall Apart
In my post The Right to Fall Apart, I wrote about the Griever’s right to express emotions when needed. The trouble with falling apart is that we have to attend to our lives at the same time. We have jobs, school, and/or families to deal with. Real Life intrudes on our need to crumble; therefore,Continue reading "How to Fall Apart"
Monday Meditation: Death Hurts
No matter how prepared you think you are for the death of a loved one, it still comes as a shock and it still hurts very deeply. -Billy Graham Death is conceptual until it becomes a reality for us. We can imagine what it must be like, but then we forget to includeContinue reading "Monday Meditation: Death Hurts"
Meditation Monday: Keep Moving to Stay Balanced
Get on the bike and keep pedaling.
Traditions: Easter Edition
On continuing special traditions after the death of a loved one.
Meditation Monday: Let Anger Go
You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger. -The Buddha Let go of anger you have at your situation or at people in your life. Anger affects the person who feels it, not the person against who anger is felt. Don't waste your energy letting negative emotions ruleContinue reading "Meditation Monday: Let Anger Go"
The Right to Fall Apart
"I am worried about her," my aunt said from behind me. "She cried at the hospital when Eileen died. She wouldn't let her go." I sat on the kneeler next to my mother's casket before and after her wake rather than sitting in a chair across the room from her. I wanted to sit nextContinue reading "The Right to Fall Apart"
Meditation Monday: True Friends
Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness. -Euripides True friends will stand beside you as you struggle through pain. True friends will be there to rest against when you are exhausted, to tell you they love you when you are distraught, and to listen to you (even if you have nothingContinue reading "Meditation Monday: True Friends"
GRIEF 101: What is Grief?
In the wake of a death we use the term “grief” to describe what we and/or others are going through. The word “grief” seems to be an umbrella term that covers a variety of things happening with those closest to the person who has died. (Grief also extends to a variety of other life situationsContinue reading "GRIEF 101: What is Grief?"
Meditation Monday: Each Day a New You
With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. -Eleanor Roosevelt Every day comes with the promise of new things. Each morning, you wake up smarter than the day before, as yesterday's lessons become today's practices. You are stronger today than you were yesterday. Keep moving.
Anniversaries
My mother died March 5, 2015—three years ago. A loved one’s death is a strange anniversary to commemorate, and like everything else within the grief process, each griever acknowledges the death anniversary differently. March 5 is a date I will never forget. I carry vivid images of that Thursday morning and the three days leadingContinue reading "Anniversaries"
New Year, New Blog
I have been away for a while. My last post from three years ago probably gives you a clue as to why. My mother died on March 5, 2015. When my mother died in 2015, I was an underemployed, adjunct professor living with my parents in Richmond, VA commuting to Washington DC. Now, in 2018,Continue reading "New Year, New Blog"
Mom
Today's is Mother's Day...and I just lost my mother. There is little to say, no Top 10 lists of what mom taught me that adequately capture everything I learned from her during our time together. Instead, I'd like to share the words I wrote for her funeral service, words that celebrated our mother-daughter time togetherContinue reading "Mom"