Grief Has No Sexual Orientation

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

A reader writes: My heart is breaking. My partner died some time ago, yet it still feels as though it happened yesterday. I've recently received some very bad news about my own health, and more than ever I find myself needing my partner to be here with me. I feel as though my heart can bear no more. My soul feels empty without her. Everything about my life feels different, and it is so hard. I need to find other lesbians who have lost their spouse.

I attended a grief support group yesterday, and it was painfully difficult. During the introductory "check-in," the member who spoke after me said she would not be able to continue if I were allowed to stay in the group. She said lesbianism is a sin.

In Grief: Dreading Mom's Stone-Setting Ceremony

[Reviewed and updated September 2, 2025]

Believe you can and you're halfway there.  ~ Theodore Roosevelt

A reader writes: Today is 9 months to the date and day that my dear mother passed away. I miss her more than words can express, but I know you know exactly what I mean as you can relate it to your loved one that has passed on.

Anyway, it is customery in the Jewish religion to have a "Stonesetting" within the first year after a loved one has passed on. It's a simple ceremony at the gravesite that dedicates the headstone to the loved one who has passed. There are a few passages read and whoever wants to say anything can. When the headstone is placed, which is prior to the ceremony, there is a piece of muslin over the stone and sometime in the ceremony my brothers and I take it off. I am DREADING this!!!

In Grief: Anticipating The Death of My Mother

Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation. ~ Rumi 

A reader writes: I am new to this. My mother is dying. She has breast cancer and now only a few months left. I am falling apart watching her die .... slowly .... I don't know how to do it. I fall apart at work, in the car, all the time now. I don't want to eat or smile or do anything. I just want to cry and sleep.

In Grief: Acknowledging A Need for Support

[Reviewed and updated June 21, 2026]

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.  ~ Nelson Mandela

A reader writes: Ten years ago I lost my first and only wife of 47 years. All of them were fantastic years and we had a great marriage. She died after a two-year struggle with cancer. A lot of pain and lot of suffering. I cared for her in my home with the great help of hospice. She died in my arms. I continued to work through this time up until the last 3 weeks, but had awesome help from a daughter and daughter-in-law and many friends. After her death I was back on the job within 2 weeks or less and felt that I was strong and could handle the whole situation without any problem.

Understanding and Managing Grief, September 10 - September 16, 2017

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

Yes, You Can Measure Grief And Here’s How, http://j.mp/2h9xnT9 « Grieve Well

Remembering the 'Lasts,' http://j.mp/2eZW8wV « Open to Hope

I Can't Live Without You, http://j.mp/2eZSGSZ « Mourning Coffee for the Mourning Soul

Understanding and Managing Grief, March 31 - April 6, 2013

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

Audio: Good Mourning: Talking to Children About Death and Grief, http://j.mp/XYPpXh « The Grief Toolbox

When Good Grief Goes Bad: Complicated or Prolonged Grief, http://j.mp/10Be42t via @AllenFrancesMD

Grief and Pinterest,  http://j.mp/10iQAQ3 « What's Your Grief

Lovely metaphor for grief: Masterpiece In the Making, http://j.mp/YxSBbG « Widow's Voice

Why Rituals Still Matter,  http://j.mp/13U3o4f « Grief Digest Magazine

Understanding and Managing Grief, May 6 - May 12, 2012

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

• On the death of one’s parent, http://j.mp/J3Pbpo by @Bradyesque
  
  
• Outstanding! Leave a Legacy of No Regrets, http://j.mp/J3JesD
• Helping children with loss, http://j.mp/J3sUrO  | SevenPonds Blog
  
  
• Mothers Day is Sunday; what if your mom has already died? http://ow.ly/aNBpz via @HelloGrief
  
  
• Mothers Day Award-Winning Song for All Moms: Story Behind the Song, http://j.mp/M4hqGc
  
  
• Sibling Grief: The Surviving Child, http://j.mp/K2nxok by Kate Carlton
  
  
• Mother's Day Prep: Getting Through This Week, http://j.mp/K2iILL via @TheGriefToolbox
  
  
• Daughter Who Started Mother’s Day, http://j.mp/K2i9S1  via @TheGriefToolbox
  
  
• Siblings Grieve Too - Free webinar on Wednesday, May 16, http://dld.bz/bzx4z via @TCFofUSA
  
  
• Crossing a Bridge: Grief Reflection ~ from wife to widow; from us to me, http://bit.ly/IFybTK by @StoryForHealing
  
  
• Lovely! Mother’s Day Is Different Now, http://j.mp/ITVP1v by @esdeer
  
  
• Stunning: A Long Goodbye, http://j.mp/IIRfiE | Widow's Voice
  
  
• Grief on Special Days, http://j.mp/ICNtbL  | Hospice and Caregiving Blog
  
  
• Lovely: When Mother’s Day Is Hard, http://j.mp/KjSjwO by @DeniseLThompson
  
  
• Choosing NOT to "accept" death of a loved one is ok! http://j.mp/KjR9kU by @GriefScope
  
  
• Voices of Experience: The Labyrinth of Grief, http://j.mp/JaD9ZI
  
  
• Did you know Mother's Day was started by grieving moms? http://j.mp/JaCGqs via @TheGriefToolbox
  
  
• Chocolate Chipped, A Smelly Book about Grief: "A Book I Hope You Never Need," http://j.mp/KAxIXY Review by @SussexMummy
  
  
• A beautiful photo of what courage is, http://ow.ly/aJMOp by @Esdeer
  
  
• What Does Tigger Know about Grief? http://shar.es/2jAjA via @TheGriefToolbox
  
  
• Lovely book review at FriendGrief: "Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake," http://j.mp/KArUO0 by @Victoria_Noe
  
  
• After Husband's Suicide, Joy of Living Eventually Returns, http://j.mp/JW7j1L
  
  
• Death of a Child: The Blessing of a Broken Heart, http://j.mp/JW3J7Z