According to the book "Healing after Loss", there is often a quietness around the rituals of dying, as though creation itself has stopped in mid flow while the moment of truth is unveiled.  Many of us take on the roles of the bereaved, and though the rituals may be old in time, our experience to it is new and painful and raw.

Perhaps these rituals and roles help guide us through the process in order to help signify what has happened.  Even having some context of faith in which to…

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It seems that my life is clouded with dark swirls of gray and black.  How could it be that my world went from light to dark?  "Healing After Loss" speaks to me and says that we will have lots of "first times"; for example Michael's first birthday, first Thanksgiving, Xmas, etc. At first these "events" will be small ones (first get together, first snow storm, etc.) and eventually build to greater milestones.  Each one will cast a dark shadow over our world and we'll wonder where we will get…

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"She taught me that grief is a time to be lived through, experienced fully, and that the heavens will not fall if I give voice to my anger against God in such a time - Elizabeth Watson from "Healing After Loss". 

I know there is anger in me that wants to come out yet my sorrow continues to over power me at this time.  All I have are grief stricken tears that flow non-stop.  I want to get there - I want to shout at God and ask "why me?", but it won't come.  I look at Michael's…

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So today's reading from the book "Healing after Loss" speaks to us in metaphoric terms of the birthing process(grief). With all its difficulties and dangers we must hold on and bear it, for if we do, we CAN make it through this hardship and come into full wakefuless through grief. And more importantly if done right; rest, reading, talking with understanding people, counseling, prayer....whatever you need, we will have new life!

I want desperately to make it through this birth of grief so… Continue

Today I finally decided to take a walk - something I hadn't done since losing my son Michael on June 9, 2014.  A good friend of mine brought me a book of meditations titled, "Healing after Loss" by Martha Whitmore Hickman and I happen to turn to the reading for June 9th.  The first line read, "Above all do not lose your desire to walk".  Though walking isn't the only means of exercise, her message is about movement and that by engaging in that activity, we are acting out the movement away…

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