As Christmas approaches, does the absence of loved ones color the season with shades of blue? It’s a song that’s part of my early childhood memories. I’m sure I remember it because both of my parents always listened to music and my father tended to sing along. Given my parent’s… Read More »A Blue Christmas
Dear Mom: It’s been three years since I last spoke to you or was able to see you. That’s a bit difficult for me to comprehend. From my perspective, a day doesn’t pass without me thinking about you or talking to you in my mind. I know that’s just how… Read More »On Mother’s Day: A Letter to the Other Side
It was something he hadn’t experienced before. I was a bit surprised by that, but it’s probably not uncommon. He told me that at age 26, it was the first time he knew someone who had died. Of course, I know that my life was a bit unusual in this… Read More »Grief: Remembering Forever
I remember the evening very clearly. I arrived home from the airport. I had been away on a trip for about a week. I landed in Pittsburgh, PA to blowing snow and icy temperatures. It would prove to be a particularly bitter night for me. Arriving back home, I began… Read More »Gratitude for Friends Now Gone
After providing care for her in our home for five years, my mother passed from this life on May 19, 2012. On the first anniversary of her passing, I am aware that my journey of grief has passed through many different experiences, memories, and sensations. The feelings of sadness for… Read More »One Year Later
The song is part of my early childhood memories. In thinking about it, it’s a strange song to remember from childhood. But then I realized that the hit version was released a short time after my birth. Given that both of my parents always listened to music and my father… Read More »A Blue Christmas
It’s easy for me to associate Easter with new life. Living in the northern hemisphere, my experience of Easter is associated with the budding of trees and blooming of flowers. Having grown up in Western Pennsylvania, there were some years when Easter mornings came blanketed with snow. But even then,… Read More »Easter and New Life
I sat at my desk one evening reviewing a mailing list. I compared it with addresses in my address book and rolodex. After about an hour or so of double-checking, I counted: since the previous Christmas, twenty-seven people to whom I sent cards last year were now dead. In all… Read More »Rediscovering Life: The Cycle of Grief