Voices of Experience: The Empty Chair

Grief always demands expression, and the wounds of loss heal more quickly and effectively when that expression finds a meaningful path. ~ Laurel Lagoni

Mary Friedel-Hunt lost her husband to Alzheimer's disease in 2010.  As his primary caregiver, she was able to keep her husband at home for more than four years, except for a long hospital stay shortly before he died. They were married almost 24 years. He died at home in her arms on March 27, 2010.  

Mary writes, "I miss him every day...we were best friends, co-workers . . . After helping hundreds of people [as a clinical social worker] for 40 years, I find this the most devastating loss I have ever experienced. I am changed forever by it. A part of me is gone forever. I am choosing to walk through the grieving...not around it."

Her beautiful poem is reprinted here with her permission:

Understanding and Managing Grief, August 21 - August 27, 2011

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

• Heartwarming and beautiful! Two women connected by grief, a gift, and healing, http://wp.me/pLVVn-b2 by @LodiSpirit

• Do dogs feel grief? http://yhoo.it/nUuP2G via @TopDogFDN

• Getting married without your parents there, http://bit.ly/p1CSO5 via @kristiewest  @BodyAwareGrief 

• Learn how to support grief in the workplace, http://tiny.cc/agt28 via @CaringInfo_news

• Read grief poetry contest winner "The Scream," http://bit.ly/liwplZ via @Joannefunch

Caregiving and Hospice, August 21 - August 27, 2011

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

• Massage and Hospice, patricksmithlmt.com/2011/08/26/10/… by @PatrickSmithLMT

• Be "wellthy" and live a long life, http://ow.ly/6d0Ed MT @HouHospice

• Free "Choosing a Quality Hospice" worksheet, http://tinyurl.com/3tfb487 from @NHPCO_news

• Hospice program covers pets, http://ow.ly/6dits via @VillageMemorial

• Wonderful story! The Dolphin Named Toy, http://owl.li/ by @ShahinaLakhani

Coping with Pet Loss, August 21 - August 27, 2011

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

• Saying Goodbye to Beringer, http://bit.ly/nQLbF8

• Chicagoans find comfort in support groups for petloss, http://trib.in/pB8K3

Saying Goodbye to Beringer

Dear Ones,
I'd like you all to know that this morning, August 22, 2011 we said our final farewell to our beloved Tibetan terrier, Beringer. He was born August 15, 1996, and came to us eight weeks later as the most precious and adorable puppy we'd ever seen. Over the years he wrapped his furry self around every aspect of our daily lives, and has been for both of us the source of the most exquisite form of love: complete, pure and unconditional. He has always been everything a dog should be: our most loyal and constant companion. He will be sorely missed.

My heart is too broken to say any more at the moment, so this will have to do:

Caregiving and Hospice, August 14 - 20, 2011

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

• Pets and Senior Citizens, http://ow.ly/676hp via @VillageMemorial

• Love this collaboration between Girl Scouts and hospice! http://ow.ly/66UHD via @CareAnyware

• Music therapy, a great alternative in hospice and caregiving, http://ow.ly/66JPM via @HouHospice

• Hospice patients record life stories for loved ones, bit.ly/o0O58Q via @hospice_news

• Families need to ask questions early about hospice care, http://t.co/ecLTlN7 by @USATODAY via @CaringPeopleInc

Understanding and Managing Grief, August 14 - 20, 2011

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

• Disenfranchised Grief: Hierarchies of 9/11 Grief, http://t.co/hYc5InC by @friendgrief

• Balance grief with remembering well: a life (radically) well lived, http://t.co/XSBWGq7 by @Allison_Peacock

• Authors of @newgrief on 5-stages of grief, http://t.co/9qmYIHE via @deborahkerr @HarvardHlthBks

• Children and Grief Interview, http://t.co/gyeyRj8 by @katiecouric http://t.co/gCp6Bhc via @heart2soul

• Tips to help children deal with grief, http://ow.ly/63OFr via @HouHospice

Coping with Pet Loss, August 14 - 20, 2011

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

• "A New Beginning," bit.ly/phf4ix by @gldunnjr

• "A Man's Best Friend," http://t.co/faWYMV0 by @gldunnjr

What I've Learned from Grief

Over a single weekend, a remarkable series of posts appeared in one of the forums on our online Grief Healing Discussion Groups. Entitled What I’ve Learned, it began when one of our widowed members decided to share what she’s learned from grief—both positive and negative—and she invited others to follow suit.

The result is a remarkable list of helpful tips and insights, all containing the wisdom that only comes from the hard-won, gut-wrenching experience of having lost a loved one. We decided that such wisdom deserves to be shared with others who are grieving.  Read on here >>>

Understanding and Managing Grief, August 7 - August 13, 2011

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

• Funny moments within tough situations can be magic, http://t.co/jtSMI2M via @BodyAwareGrief

• How has Harry Potter taught you to embrace life and death? http://t.co/j6trJWe via @SevenPonds

• How long does grief last? http://t.co/8iTuEn7 by @Esdeer

• Society must face up to reality of death and support grief and bereavement, http://t.co/QoOUfHO via  @ukequality

• Meditation as part of the grief process, bit.ly/o3zmsm via @lisamlilly