My daughter takes Spanish at her Catholic school. Her Spanish instructor does a short unit on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in October. My daughter and I have talked about the Day of the Dead for a while and, because we talk about our dead family members quite a bit, she askedContinueContinue reading “Making a Simple Dia De Los Muertos Ofrenda”
Tag Archives: Self-Care
Year 11: Reclaiming My Strength
Eleven years. Here we go again… After watching Stranger Things, I almost feel like eleven years should hold something magical and otherworldly, lifesaving, sacrificing, or revelatory. What does eleven years feel like? Fresh. Still raw. Still hurt. Still missing a chunk of myself. I find myself thinking “I need to call my mom” more andContinueContinue reading “Year 11: Reclaiming My Strength”
Monday Meditation: Persevering
“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”
Monday Meditation: Fall Now, Stand Later
“If you fell down yesterday, Stand up today.” -H.G. Wells One of the most significant misunderstandings concerning grief is the belief that grief is a one-and-done experience: loss happens, you get sad, you gradually become happier, and then, one day, grief is gone for good. The belief is helpful to grief supporters, who sometimes actContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Fall Now, Stand Later”
Monday Meditation: Quiet Reconnection
“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 canContinueContinue 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 ofContinueContinue 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 thatContinueContinue 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,”ContinueContinue 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 cropContinueContinue 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 wouldContinueContinue 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) whichContinueContinue reading “A Year For Rest”
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:ContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Rest.”
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 thisContinueContinue reading “Holiday Gift Guide 2021”
Monday Meditation: It’s Gonna Be Work
“Be real with yourself in whatever area of your life and your game that you need improvement on. Once you figure that out, you just have to go out and work on it. For me, it’s footwork. I constantly work on it, and it’s a never-ending process.”-Calvin Johnson (former wide-receiver for the Detroit Lions) NoContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: It’s Gonna Be Work”
Monday Meditation: Give me an “I”
“Improvement begins with I.”-Arnold H. Glasow Grief is overwhelming, and grievers may frequently turn to their grief supporters for help getting through the initial trauma of loss and then healing. Some grief supporters are really great at being there for the griever in their lives, others aren’t as helpful. While being surrounded by amazing supportContinueContinue reading “Monday Meditation: Give me an “I””