The shadow side of survivorship
You may have heard of the phenomenon known as “survivor guilt" (described at this link by What's Your Grief). It’s fairly well documented...
The ongoing work of coping with loss
Would that the work of grieving were more like shoveling snow... This past weekend brought the biggest snowfall of the winter so far,...
E-mail, and other ways people live on
Fact: I do not manage my inbox effectively. When I receive an urgent e-mail, something related to work or my children or a health issue,...
A griever's guide to Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving, a holiday that many find tough to negotiate after someone they love has died, is once again around the corner. This is my...
Castles of the future
Like many people, I grew up believing in a cause-and-effect relationship between how you live and what life brings – in other words, if...
Melancholy mode
I have a folder on my computer where I keep blog posts, both finished and unfinished. Over the last couple of months it has grown to...
Navigating the logistics of loss
It starts before you even begin to accept what has happened. Almost immediately, as you try to wrap your brain around the loss, the...
Think twice before saying "at least" to people in crisis, in grief, in illness.
It happens all the time. Bereaved parents hear it: At least you have another child. At least you could get pregnant again. People who...
Thrown
A week ago this morning, I set myself up on my deck with a cup of coffee, the day’s newspaper, and my computer, thinking I would catch up...
To my (late) brother on his birthday
Here we are again. It’s your birthday, and you’re not here. For the second time since you were taken too soon from this earth because of...