Understanding and Managing Grief, October 23 - November 5, 2022

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

When I lost my husband to brain cancer, I learned there is no road map for grief.  A guide to dealing with grief as a widow « The Washington Post 

Anderson Cooper takes us on a deeply personal exploration of loss and grief. He starts recording while packing up the apartment of his late mother Gloria Vanderbilt. Going through her journals and keepsakes, as well as things left behind by his father and brother, Cooper begins a series of emotional and moving conversations about the people we lose, the things they leave behind, and how to live on - with loss, with laughter, and with love. All There Is with Anderson Cooper « CNN Audio

In Grief: Helpful Tips on Writing an Obituary

May our obituaries someday say--preferably after we're dead, of course--that we lived in peace, in love, and mostly in grace. ~ Jaime Jo Wright

As noted in an earlier post, an obituary includes both public and private facts that celebrate a person’s life and engagement in the community. 

If you're ever faced with the task of writing and submitting an obituary for publication in a newspaper or online, you may find these suggestions helpful:

In Grief: On Writing An Obituary

Obituaries are just like biographies, only shorter. They remind us that interesting, successful people rarely lead orderly, linear lives. ~ Charles Wheelan

When is the best time to write an obituary?

It is not necessary to wait until a person has died to begin writing an obituary. People can be interviewed before death about what they want included in their obituary – and each of us can begin right now to write our own life story. The obituary may be the only account that will ever be written about us, and this is our chance to tell others exactly what we want them to know and remember about us.  Once written, it can motivate us to continue living an interesting and meaningful life – and inspire us live up to what we’ve written about ourselves. It certainly is a thoughtful gesture that can spare our family and friends from having yet another task to complete (under a newspaper’s deadline) during what will be a sad and difficult time. And it can be a priceless gift to future generations. If you do decide to write your own obituary, make certain that you keep it updated and readily accessible, and let your next of kin know where to find it.

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

Understanding and Managing Grief, August 17 - August 23

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

Dave Brown's cartoon commentary on the horrific death of journalist James Foley,  j.mp/1mDDvKq « Twitter

Overdose Awareness Day 2014 is Sunday, August 31, http://j.mp/1ABiurQ « What's Your Grief?

Summing It All Up: Writing An Obituary, http://j.mp/1rorpw2 « Caring with Confidence

Caregiving and Hospice, July 13 - July 19, 2014

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

Dear lawmakers: This is what it's like to be a doctor today, http://j.mp/1tYog78 « Kevin MD

Selfless Caregiving: Honoring the Hospice Patient’s Wishes, http://j.mp/1jUfV00 « Caring with Confidence

Suicide Thoughts and End of Life, http://j.mp/1oXkxBj « Barbara Karnes Books, Inc.

Understanding and Managing Grief, September 8 - September 14, 2013

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

Friday Funeral Film: Departures, http://j.mp/1638nuj « A Good Goodbye

Outstanding! Grief Is ...... http://j.mp/162dUlF « Widow's Voice

Wounded Healer: Objectivity in Grief Counseling, http://j.mp/1esi1R9 « It's OK to Die

This Incredible Obituary May Be The Best Thing You Read All Week, http://j.mp/18QrOJF « Huffington Post

911. A Different Anniversary of Loss, http://j.mp/15X08jo « Navigating Grief

Memorializing a Cherished Pet

If we are loved and remembered, then we live on forever in the hearts of those who love us. ~ Ted Menten

As I was leafing through my copy of The Fireside Book of Dog Stories (a treasure I inherited from my father after he died too soon from a heart attack in 1978), I came across an old newspaper clipping I'd apparently tucked between its pages many years ago. I'm going to share the contents of the clipping with you, but first I want to tell you a bit about my father.

A beloved physician and surgeon with a country doctor's charm, my father was a lover of all creatures great and small, but most especially he was a dog lover. It didn't matter what kind -- our family had many different breeds as I was growing up, including a cocker spaniel, a boxer, a collie, a German shepherd and a couple of loveable mutts -- but his favorite by far was the female Saint Bernard-collie mix he named Moose.

Understanding and Managing Grief, March 17 - March 23, 2013

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

A son's touching tribute: My Father's Horniness, http://j.mp/167NIrz by Dax Shepard

Defending Against Loss, http://j.mp/11rBuaz by Tara Brach

Film Review: The Way, http://j.mp/10uwXoM « The Family Plot Blog

Celebrities speaking up about grief, http://wp.me/p2KrvU-Es « What's Your Grief?

Powerful lesson shared: A Death Remembered, http://j.mp/YKl5ul by Mtutuzeli Nyoka