Monday, June 20, 2016

Voices of Experience: Wonder

by Kathie Brumbaugh

Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.  ~ Socrates

I wonder if life will ever be worth living again? Will there ever be joy, happiness or hope?

I wonder if my tunnel will ever have a light at the end of it? Will this black and gloomy cloud ever lift and float away?

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Caregiving and Hospice, June 12 - June 18, 2016

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

New: Chat for Those Caring for a Family Member Who Had a Stroke,  http://j.mp/1V1MNQm « CareGiving.com

It's Time to Train All Doctors on How to Talk to Patients About End-of-Life Care, http://j.mp/1YuwZLR « The Huffington Post

Leaving With Love: The Difference Palliative Care Makes, http://j.mp/1tyJomo « Media Planet Cancer Care

Understanding and Managing Grief, June 12 - June 18, 2016

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Running from Dad’s Death,  http://j.mp/1INFg4l « Open to Hope

What the Term “Fatherless Daughter” Means To Me, http://j.mp/1XZzFCq « Maria Shriver

Why I'm Jealous of Grieving People, http://j.mp/1W3Q2Mb « Modern Loss

Monday, June 13, 2016

Coping with Grief on Father’s Day: Selected Resources

[Reviewed and updated June 15, 2023]

A boy loses his father, he quickly becomes a man. I was 22. I remember clearly the sobriety I felt in the pain of my father’s passing. The sorrow refined me, and I never looked at the world the same again. Everything I revered and looked up to suddenly dropped to eye level and felt more mortal and attainable, while everything I had patronized and looked down upon rose up to a more respectful eye level and wasn’t beneath me. The world was suddenly flat, and I looked it square in the eye with more courage and incentive than ever before.
~ Matthew McConaughey
                                             ~
This coming Sunday is Father’s Day, a day set aside for honoring one’s own father (or father figure) and for celebrating fatherhood. But for those who are separated from or mourning the loss of a father or grandfather, or fathers mourning the loss of a child or grandchild, this can be instead a most difficult day to endure. If you find yourself or someone you love in these circumstances, know that you are not alone.

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Caregiving and Hospice, June 5 - June 11, 2016

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

A day in the life of a hospice nurse: I have no words. I have a thousand words. http://j.mp/1ZHmkMb « allnurses

The family doesn't think their loved one qualifies for Hospice~now what? http://buff.ly/1Y6VHkN « Barbara Karnes, RN

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below.
If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.

Understanding and Managing Grief, June 5 - June 11, 2016

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Stifled Grief: How the West Has It Wrong, http://j.mp/1OilF33 « One Fit Widow

How Social Media Expands the Space Between Mourning and Grief, http://j.mp/1OdY837 « The Atlantic

Explaining Daddy's Suicide: Pictures by Emily Vaden, http://j.mp/2193g9P « The Gift of Second

Monday, June 6, 2016

In Grief: Feeling Guilty for Feeling Happy

[Reviewed and updated March 5, 2024]

“And I can't be running back and forth forever between grief and high delight.”  ~ J.D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey

A reader writes: Six months ago whilst my world was going good for a change and I was expecting the birth of my beautiful baby girl, I got a phone call from the police in the middle of the night, informing me that my 19-year-old brother had taken his own life. This was two weeks before my due date. I was devastated and very confused whilst trying to figure out if I should be upset or happy that I was soon to be a mum. Being in such shock I was admitted into hospital so they could monitor my baby and give me something to help me sleep. Making things worse, his funeral was planned and took place on my due date. Knowing that I had to keep my baby safe, I spent the week keeping it together and trying not to get upset or cry. Although ten days overdue, my gorgeous little bundle arrived and I could not have been happier -- but I'm still riddled with guilt about being so happy at a time when I should have been in the pits of despair. At the same time, I have had to put on a brave face and smile even though most of the time I want to break down and cry. And I cannot let my baby see me sad because this is supposed to be a happy time.

Caregiving and Hospice, May 29 - June 4, 2016

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Communication and Practice: Re-Imagining the End-Of-Life Experience, http://j.mp/22AIotD « Pallimed

Study: Hope often trumps understanding of a physician's prognosis, http://j.mp/1O6Jlr6 « LA Times

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below.
If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.

Understanding and Managing Grief, May 29 - June 4, 2016

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

In the Grief Browser, All the Tabs Are Open, http://j.mp/1srLyDr « HuffPost Healthy Living

How to Handle the EXHAUSTION of Grief, http://j.mp/1TRN6CN « The Grief Toolbox

Feeling Relief After A Death, http://j.mp/1Y0UxHH « What's Your Grief?

Resources for Service Members and Their Families, http://j.mp/1X8an4F « Grief Healing

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below.
If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.