In Grief: Daughters Mourning Mothers

A reader writes: Today I visited your site for the first time and I have decided to share something I wrote with you. This fall I lost my mother less than a week before my son's wedding. I have been grieving for both my empty nest (3 adult children have moved on with their lives) along with the loss of my mother. Each time I feel lonely or sad because my kids have grown and left the nest, I feel deep pain for having caused my mother the same grief. Relationships with parents are complicated; expectations, irritations, personality quirks, being a 47 year old daughter, etc. Along with the emotional connectedness we had with one another, my grief includes loss for my mother as a friend.

And for her support and constant love that was available whenever I felt the need and which I most definitely undervalued. She was there to call, from Illinois to California, just to chat, connect, share trivia about my kids or grandchild or find a recipe. Anyway, I write to you to thank you for your thoughtful site. And also to send a poem. I wrote this with one of my sisters in my mind and heart. Her loving eyes, mirroring her feelings of loss, and how I feel experiencing my own
emotion of loss:  Read on here >>>

Caregiving and Hospice, April 30 - May 6, 2017

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

Honoring Hospice Nurses: National Nurses Week, May 6 – May 12, http://bit.ly/mFIU0a « 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.

Understanding and Managing Grief, April 30 - May 6, 2017

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

Sudden Loss: 5 Ways it Differs from Expected Loss, http://bit.ly/2pRHooo « The Grief Toolbox

Digitally Delivered Mental Health – The Revolution Is Here! http://bit.ly/2qMuoQa « Health Journeys

The Bigger Lesson From Facebook’s New Bereavement Leave Policy, http://bit.ly/2pKavtP « Fast Company

Coping with Pet Loss, April 30 - May 6, 2017

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

Pet hospice helps ease difficult days for animals and their humans, http://bit.ly/2pc9nOF « WGN-TV

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.

In Grief: Causing Accidental Death or Injury (CADI) to Another

[Reviewed and updated January 25, 2026]

Life is an adventure in forgiveness, the writer Norman Cousins once said, but few things come so hard as forgiving oneself.  ~ Todd Leopold

A reader writes: Three weeks ago I hit a pedestrian. Two days later he died. I am up and down, feeling guilt. Sometimes I try to act OK. My husband is very worried about me. I am going to a class on anxiety. It helps me understand what I am experiencing. But are there any online resources that deal with someone dying who is NOT a loved one, but rather actually a complete stranger and the ongoing guilt I feel about this?

Caregiving and Hospice, April 23 - April 29, 2017

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

Widespread Hype Gives False Hope To Many Cancer Patients, http://bit.ly/2oT4N7R « Kaiser Health News

7 Ways to Manage Caregiver Stress when Their Issues Are Also Your Own, http://bit.ly/2oIUdjq « Health Journeys

Spinning Out of Control: when a family member is terminally ill, http://bit.ly/2q8HyGP « SevenPondsBlog

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, April 23 - April 29, 2017

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

Making Sense of Senseless Tragedy, http://bit.ly/2oTzdH7 « Grieve Well

Video game to help people cope with grief, http://bit.ly/2p1pPn8 « eHospice

Guilt After a Suicide by Brandy Lidbeck, http://bit.ly/2qcCTrm « The Gift of Second

Mother Loss: When Grief Is Mixed with Menopause

Source

[Reviewed and updated July 10, 2023]

"Do not become alarmed when you experience yourself in totally new ways," sighs Grandmother Growth tenderly. "You are changing, getting ready to be initiated into the third stage of your life. Are you ready for the ride of your life?"  ~ Susun Weed

A reader writes: I’d like to know if any other women in their early 50's (like I am) might lose their mother (or dearest, closest relative) during the process of menopause. I looked online for some more information regarding this topic, and didn't find much. If there is "nothing new under the sun", then I know I am not alone, and someone else can relate.

Understanding and Managing Grief, April 16 - April 22, 2017

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

Who’s in Charge Here? Coping with loss of control, http://bit.ly/2ork7rS « What's Your Grief?

How to Offer Support to a Grieving Colleague, http://bit.ly/2pji1yu « Harvard Business Review

Guided Imagery 101 – Some Basics for Everyone, http://bit.ly/2pGDXAq « Health Journeys

In Grief: Remembering Is An Active Process

Source

[Reviewed and updated May 29, 2026]

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

A reader writes: Eleven months ago, my son had a massive seizure in his sleep and went on to Heaven as a result. His birthday was to be the next day, the saddest day of my entire life. He was 6 feet tall, blonde hair, blue eyes and the most beautiful smile anyone ever wanted to see. He had the kindest heart and gentle way about him. I really did not realize how many lives he had touched while he was with us. When God came to take him home he got a very special angel. He was 21 and the kind of young man anyone would have been proud to have had for a son. I must say it was a privilege to say I was his mother. The day he died a part of me died too. I miss him so much it is physically painful even to this day. I have not found a way to live this new life I have been given. I do try but without much success.