There is nothing that prepares you for finding out a friend is dying. While not always it often comes out of the blue, and you go from making plans to sitting in your car outside the hospital wondering how on earth you are supposed to walk in and be normal. So if you are here … Read more
There are conversations in life we would give almost anything to avoid. Telling a child that someone they love has died is going to be very close to the top of that. If you are reading this chances are you are facing that now or preparing yourself for it soon. I am so sorry. It … Read more
When a widow reaches her husband’s birthday for the first time without him it can feel like a fresh wave of grief all over again. Before a birthday was about candles, cake and celebrating the man she loved. Now it’s a time of sadness and for the people around her it’s hard to know what … Read more
When someone tells you they’re moving a relative into hospice it can be hard to know what to say. You wan to say the right thing and not something clumsy. Starting hospice isn’t the same as someone dying tomorrow. But it is a frightening moment for the family and the words we use can cause … Read more
Gentle grief journal prompts for the loss of a mother, to help you process the pain, remember your mom and slowly carry her memory forward as you heal.
I talked about the first things I wrote in my grief journal in the guide to getting started with grief journaling. It was a few words but it got me started. I didn’t write again for weeks. But when I did come back to that notebook something had changed. The few words had been waiting … Read more
After our mom died my sister gave me a notebook to write my feelings down in. She said it would help cope with the grief. I let the notebook sit on my nightstand for about three weeks before I finally opened it. Every night I’d look at the cover and think – not tonight. And … Read more
After a funeral it can become very quiet. For a few days you have people around you constantly and the phone always ringing. Then the service happens, everyone hugs one more time and by the following morning the house is silent. Those grieving and bereaved are left wondering what they do next. It’s then that … Read more
Planning a celebration of life may be different from a regular funeral but it’s still having to make decisions whilst heartbroken. Deciding on things like music, photos and who’s going to speak. One of those decisions is the program – the printed booklet you hand out as people arrive. If you’re having to put a … Read more
Finding out you’ve lost someone is hard enough. Then you have to tell work. You’re experiencing grief and some of the worst moments of your life and you can barely think straight yet somehow you’re supposed to type out a calm message to your boss explaining why you won’t be in. I had to go … Read more