"Learn to be quiet enough to hear the genuine within yourself so that you can hear it in others." -Marian Wright Edelman Learning to sit in quiet is a skill that takes time to develop. The noise outside is loud and often penetrates deep inside us, making it hard to shut off. The noise canContinue reading "Monday Meditation: Quiet Reconnection"
My “Dry” January 2023
Typically, Dry January refers to a month of abstention from alcohol (and maybe whatever else was overabundant in the pre-new year holiday season). After an emotionally exhausting and panic-attack-filled 2022, I decided to do my own grief version of a "Dry January" in 2023. 2022 was awful, and I wanted to begin a practice ofContinue reading "My “Dry” January 2023"
Monday Meditation: Quiet Matters
"When you quiet your mind, you can enter a world of clarity, peace and understanding." -Alice Coltrane Quiet is more than just the absence of noise. Quiet is a state of being that helps suppress distracting intrusions so that the right sounds can become loud and clear. For grievers, quiet is a golden elephant thatContinue reading "Monday Meditation: Quiet Matters"
Monday Meditation: To Rest, Surrender.
"Leave the rest to the gods."* -Horace To rest, you have to stop expending energy in certain ways. Not only do you have to physically stop performing certain activities, but you also have to release depleting mental loads from your mind. It's easy to see someone watching television and assume they are fully "at rest,"Continue reading "Monday Meditation: To Rest, Surrender."
Monday Meditation: Lie Fallow
"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop." -Ovid Fallowing is a farming practice whereby a field is left unsown for a period of time to let the soil recover its nutrients and restore its moisture content. This recovery time later allows that same soil to grow a larger and better cropContinue reading "Monday Meditation: Lie Fallow"
Monday Meditation: A New Year Rest
"Rest when you are weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work." -Ralph Marston December used to be an exciting month, a tiring one, but one filled with the energy of holiday electricity. The final week of the year used to be a time when I wouldContinue reading "Monday Meditation: A New Year Rest"
A Year For Rest
I am so happy to see 2022 go…it was a difficult year full of exhausting experiences and habits that I would not like to continue…ever. The year was full of family health traumas (I do know that for the people directly affected by these health issues, the year was far more stressful and exhausting) whichContinue reading "A Year For Rest"
7 Years
Today is the seventh anniversary of my mother's death. Photo by Ylanite Koppens on Pexels.com The week comes, as it always does, with a physical heaviness that just makes me tired. I want to lie down more than usual. I'm not emotional, per se, just…tired. The past year has been spent in pandemic and thought.Continue reading "7 Years"
Monday Meditation: Rest.
"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop." -Ovid A holiday shrouded in grief can range from tiring to exhausting. As we slide into the next new year, remember to rest. As we recover from the emotional turmoil holidays can bring, remember to rest. Give yourself a break. Take time for yourself:Continue reading "Monday Meditation: Rest."
Monday Meditation: Sacred Tears
"There is sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love."-Washington Irving This will be a difficult week for many. Supporters may encourage grievers to perk up because itContinue reading "Monday Meditation: Sacred Tears"
Holiday Gift Guide 2021
My gift list is a bit late, I realize. In truth, because grief is 24/7/365, when you give a gift to a griever or when you (as a griever) buy yourself a self-care present is somewhat irrelevant. This guide is for both grief supporters and grievers. If you are looking for a special something thisContinue reading "Holiday Gift Guide 2021"
Monday Medtation: Every Day, Grief
Part of every misery is, so to speak, the misery's shadow or reflection: the fact that you don't merely suffer but have to keep on thinking about the fact that you suffer. I not only live each endless day in grief but live each day thinking about living each day in grief.-C.S. Lewis The holidayContinue reading "Monday Medtation: Every Day, Grief"
Monday Mediation: Start Simply.
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."-Arthur Ashe A pitfall of life is getting caught up in the race to be more, be ahead of the game, be pushing for the next whatever, be comparing ourselves to the past…essentially occupying any moment other than the present. Grief doesn't mesh withContinue reading "Monday Mediation: Start Simply."
Monday Meditation: Tend the Grief Garden
"I always see gardening as an escape, as peace really. If you are angry or troubled, nothing provides the same solace as nurturing the soil." -Monty Don The work of healing grief can be like growing a garden. Plants and flowers need water, sunlight, and plenty of weeding to grow and thrive. When you first plantContinue reading "Monday Meditation: Tend the Grief Garden"
All Souls Day Meditation
November 2 is All Souls Day or the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. The Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), recognized primarily (though not only) in Mexico where it originated, is celebrated October 31 through November 2. November 2 is a day on which Catholics pray that their deceased loved ones and allContinue reading "All Souls Day Meditation"