“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” -Walter Elliot Grief isn’t just one experience that hangs out for a bit and then disappears. Grief is a very long road broken up into shorter segments that piggyback onto one another for the remainder of a griever’s life. OutsidersContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Persevering”
Tag Archives: compassion
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 cropContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Lie Fallow”
Monday Meditation: The Lonely Holiday
“Christmas is a holiday the persecutes the lonely, the frayed, and the rejected.”-Jimmy Cannon The Christmas season is upon us. It is a bittersweet time for grievers. First Christmases without a loved one are difficult, of course. But it’s the second, third, and rest of the Christmases without your loved one that may be theContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: The Lonely Holiday”
Monday Meditation: The High Road
“Take the high road. No matter how much strife, and consternation, frustration and anger you may be confronted with–don’t go to that level.” -Tim Gunn One of the unexpected challenges of grieving (for me at least) was dealing with grief supporters who, instead of supporting my path, used their time to put down my choicesContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: The High Road”
Monday Meditation: Thanksgiving
“There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.”-O. Henry Thanksgiving 2020 is bittersweet. We are isolating. Many of us have lost loved ones. Many may be spending the day alone because of the pandemic. Many Americans are out of work or have lost family businesses becauseContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Thanksgiving”
Monday Mediation: A Test of Integrity
“Calamity is the test of integrity.”-Samuel Richardson Nothing tests us like distress. The same distress we experience also tests those around us. Distress, struggle, trauma, death–they challenge our character, our honesty, our morality, our honor. Grievers must make difficult decisions and choose from options they don’t always like in order to make the best ofContinueContinue reading “Monday Mediation: A Test of Integrity”
Monday Meditation: Transform Through Compassion
“For me, forgiveness and compassion are always linked: how do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?”-belle hooks It’s difficult to extend compassion to, or forgive, someone who has hurt you or people you know.ContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Transform Through Compassion”
Monday Meditation: Survival Requires Love
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.”-The Dalai Lama When we think about what humans need to survive, we often reduce the list to the basic essentials: food, clothing, shelter, and water. Perhaps we can add an income with which to pay for these basics. What gets omitted is interesting:ContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Survival Requires Love”
Monday Meditation: The Virtue of Compassion
“Compassion is not a popular virtue.”-Karen Armstrong Of all the times to have compassion, it is when there is loss. However, compassion, even in situations where it is clearly called for, is not always the go-to response for support networks. Compassion may be seen as a weakness, as a capitulation to sadness, heartbreak, and vulnerability–noneContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: The Virtue of Compassion”
The Trouble with Coronavirus: How COVID-19 is Challenging American Acceptance of Death
Like many people, I am interested in information about COVID-19. I read news and journal articles about the pandemic and the scientific communities prescribed methods of handling it. I follow the debates about masks and the realness of the disease. I watch people flood beaches and vacation as though the virus isn’t spreading. I listenContinueContinue reading “The Trouble with Coronavirus: How COVID-19 is Challenging American Acceptance of Death”
Monday Meditation: Open Your Focus to Compassion
“Too much self-centered thinking is the source of suffering. A compassionate concern for others’ well-being is the source of happiness.”-The Dalai Lama, The Book of Joy When we focus on ourselves while suffering, when we wallow in our despair, it is easy for us to shut out other people’s experiences and other events in theContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Open Your Focus to Compassion”
Grief 101: How Long Does Grief Last?
Answer: As long as it needs.
Monday Meditation: Sharing Brings Healing
Part of the healing process is sharing with other people who care. -Jerry Cantrell There is a preconception that people should keep their suffering to themselves. Sad or unhappy conversations should not take place. We can only publically project strength, happiness, and confidence. This is nonsense. Healing requires sharing our pain with others, and inContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Sharing Brings Healing”
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,ContinueContinue reading “New Year, New Blog”