Voices of Experience: My Self-Care Basket

by Anne M. Gorman

When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.   
~ Jean Shinoda Bolen

As a caregiver for my beloved Jim for five years, one important thing I learned during that time was the importance of caring for self. I think that part of healing has to do with self-care and this is what I'm doing for the New Year. I just came off of a Stay-at-Home Retreat and decided to prepare a Self-Care Basket that I can go to when I need a day to focus on myself. This did not happen to me in my first years of loss, but we change – and for me, today I like to focus on doing something for myself.

Caregiving and Hospice, January 20 - January 26, 2019

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

Refusing Treatment At Age 93, http://j.mp/2RSVMhG « Barbara Karnes RN

10 things patients should know about hospitals, http://j.mp/2RNNA23 « Kevin MD

New global consensus-based definition of palliative care across all ages, http://j.mp/2RJlMfk « ehospice

Understanding and Managing Grief, January 20 - January 26, 2019

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

The Captivating World of Mary Oliver, http://j.mp/2RKw66y « TIME

“Get Over It,” http://j.mp/2ROTXC0 « Grief Compass

I Died Too, http://j.mp/2RLpipk « Better Not Bitter Widower

Death of A Friend: A Disenfranchised Grief

Find the updated version of this post here:

Disenfranchised Grief: When A Friend Dies

A reader writes: A friend of mine died last month. I have been struggling to cope since then. We met only a few months ago when I did some work at the theater where he was based. We knew each other a very short time and I realize that if you've lost someone you've known for years this may seem so selfish and silly, but we really connected and I miss him so much . . . There wasn't a funeral. If there was one, it was a family only affair. I have no contact with anyone else who knew him. 

Caregiving and Hospice, January 13 - January 19, 2019

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

What is the Pet Partners Therapy Animal Program? http://j.mp/2CuvRCh « Seven Ponds Blog

Conversation With Barbara Karnes - The Little Blue Book Lady! by Palliative Care Chat, http://j.mp/2CsRbIp « University of MD Baltimore

The elderly couple who bought vitamins at the grocery store, http://j.mp/2Cmu0iS « Kevin, MD

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, January 13 - January 19, 2019

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

My dad’s lesson in parenting through grief, served with a side of eggs, http://j.mp/2RBjAGl « The Washington Post

Grieving Who I Used To Be, http://j.mp/2RyUgku « What's Your Grief ?

Updated: Tips for Coping with Sleeplessness in Grief, http://bit.ly/2HuFva9 « Grief Healing

Voices of Experience: Bittersweet

Memories, even bittersweet ones, are better than nothing.  ~ Jennifer Armentrout

Jan Warner believes that honoring grief is honoring love. She says she wants her husband's life to matter more than his death, but she also acknowledges that she will always grieve his loss. After nine years of learning to live without him, she still has days when everything falls apart. Nevertheless, she has a letter from her husband telling her how he watches her fall down and then get back up again: "He writes that he loves me and is proud of me for this. I hope I am still making him proud." Here Jan shares some of where she's been in her own grief journey, and what she's discovered along the way:

Caregiving and Hospice, January 6 - January 12, 2019

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

The discrimination against nurse practitioners must stop, http://j.mp/2CfXP4p « Kevin MD

GoFundMe: 4 Tips for Effective Medical Crowdfunding, http://j.mp/2CegKNf « Crossroads

Six Months To Live? A Doctor's Prediction, http://j.mp/2CbNGpz « Barbara Karnes RN

Understanding and Managing Grief, January 6 - January 12, 2019

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

The Sudden Loss Of A Child: How A Marriage Survives, http://j.mp/2ChoLkC  « AfterTalk

Grieving with Mr. Pickles: Thoughts on Showtime’s ‘Kidding,’ http://j.mp/2Rgs8ma « Pallimed

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.

Pet Loss: Can I Euthanize My Dog On My Own?

[Reviewed and updated August 11, 2018]

Asking for others' guidance helps you to see what you may not be able to see.  ~ Ken Blanchard

A reader writes: I want to release my dog's spirit in a wilderness area he so loves and belongs to be laid to rest in. All the vets I talk to will only kill him in their office or for another pile of cash come to my home. I am also told for .25 I can kill him with a bullet (not possible). I need to know how to euthanize my dog on my own without violence, how to overdose him on dog or human Rx's or whatever it takes to give him a peaceful passage to the other side. Please help me or direct me to a resource that can. I want both my dog and myself to have this done with dignity and not deal with the mercenary mindset of vets who have lost their heart to care for animals and only want $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.  Thank you for whatever, if anything, you can do.

Caregiving and Hospice, December 30 - January 5, 2019

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

Hospice Care in an Assisted Living or Skilled Nursing Facility, http://j.mp/2R532Xi « Hospice of the Red River Valley

If You Struggle to Talk About Death, Read This, http://bit.ly/2BTGBKc « Thrive Global

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, December 30 - January 5, 2019

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

'Mary Poppins Returns' Is a Subtle Exploration of Grief,  http://j.mp/2BWWdfU  « The Atlantic

When a Loved One is Dying: The Unspoken Emotions and Impact of Grief, http://j.mp/2BZ6Z5u « PSYCOM

Hospice of the Valley offers support in Fountain Hills, http://j.mp/2C2HQqe  « Fountain Hills Times