Coping with grief

The grieving process is necessary and healing. Death is inevitable.  The loss of a beloved friend or family is a shattering experience.  It’s far reaching implications always bring a gamut of emotions which we cannot immunize ourselves against.  The heart-breaking anguish is inescapable when love is deep.   Deafening heartache may overcome us at unexpected moments – just when we feel that life has returned to normal.  Our life has been irrevocably altered. Grieving is painful.  It is also necessary.  It helps us heal.  The process of allowing yourself to grieve is healthy.  Enjoying life again doesn’t mean that the person is no longer missed.  Going forward ... Read Full Story

...to describe how broken my heart is right now. I'm in tears, praying for a family whom I have never met in real life. I heard the news through Twitter and realized how quickly, and helpful, this service can be when there is news that needs to be spread. A beautiful toddler lost her life today and her family (and loved ones near and far) are mourning the death of someone too young and too precious to say goodbye to so soon. Madeline Alice Spohr November 11, 2007 - April 7, 2009 Words just cannot explain how devastating it was to find out that ... Read Full Story

For those of us who have lost a child, having something to remember him or her by is the key to moving on. I came across a website devoted to bereavement photography for infants and stillborn babies which I think is a lovely testament to the ways in which our loved ones live on in our hearts and memories. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is a non-profit organization providing resources and volunteer photographers to provide lasting images for parents who have experienced the loss of a child. For families overcome by grief and pain, the idea of photographing their baby may not ... Read Full Story

Elizabeth Barrow was 100 years old and lived in a nursing home in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. She was in pretty good health, but it was hardly a surprise that she died last month . Hundred year old people die. What was a shock was how she died. She was strangled in her bed and a plastic bag was placed over her head and tied in place with a shoelace. When her family first learned of her death, they assumed that the bag had been placed there by someone trying to cover her body up, and that she had died of natural causes. The medical examiner ... Read Full Story

Over the last few days we have broken down the stages of grief . Today we are going to take a look at a very useful tool to help with the coping process, grief support groups. Grief support groups offer a group of caring people, often who have experienced similar loss or trauma, that can "walk along side you" through one of life's most difficult experiences. This is key to helping you through the grief process, as most people feel that they have to go through grieving alone. There are many resources out there that can connect you to a support group, but I ... Read Full Story