To Move or Not? Making Decisions in the Wake of Recent Loss

Find the latest version of this post here:

In Grief: Making Big Decisions After Major Loss

A reader writes: Two months ago we lost our 18-year-old son in a traffic accident just two blocks from our home. He was driving alone. We are talking about moving because my wife can't drive by the intersection anymore and does not feel comfortable in the home. I need some advice on the subject of moving. Would this be good, bad, or too soon? Would we regret a move later down the road? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

Caregiving and Hospice, April 21 - April 27, 2013

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

Do patients need to know they are terminally ill? http://j.mp/12vGADT « GeriPal

Pet benefits: Vitamin P: The Secret to Health and Longevity, http://j.mp/181opcq « Huffington Post

A new approach to end-of-life and death, http://j.mp/12niif9 « Everplans

Tech Startup Helps You Manage Death of Loved One, http://on.wsj.com/12GyhV7 « Wall Street Journal

PTSD in caregivers following expected death http://ow.ly/kmJMh « Palliative Medicine Journal

Understanding and Managing Grief, April 21 - April 27, 2013

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

National Victims of Crime Week to increase understanding of Homicide Grief, http://bit.ly/11sVLul « Aftermath of Murder Survivor Stories

Powerful post on Lessons Learned: 6, http://j.mp/14YKyJV « Widow's Voice

Is it Harder to Mourn an Actual Loss or Loss of an Ideal You Never Had? http://j.mp/163b2cf « GoodTherapy.org

Hundreds of death, grief, thanatology experts gather at ADEC conference this week, http://huff.to/15YN2XK « Huffington Post

Book Review: “Closer Than You Think” discusses After-Death Communication, http://j.mp/11ZgXZi « SevenPonds Blog

Coping with Pet Loss, April 21 - April 27, 2013

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

Pet remembrance service aims to provide support, http://j.mp/186f1BF « Traverse City Record-Eagle

How to know when to euthanize your pet, http://j.mp/13zVV6h « Yahoo! Shine

Farewell to My Friend, http://j.mp/ZMOrwz « Write from the Heart

Beautifully told story of petloss: Au Revoir! http://j.mp/Y07sgN « Ezine Articles

Assessing Quality of Life in Our Animals, http://j.mp/11zmNjT « Psychology Today

When Grief Seems Insignificant by Comparison

Find the latest version of this post here:

Making Comparisons in Grief

As news about mass shootings continues to flood the airwaves, our hearts go out to the victims, survivors, and others who witnessed these horrific events, as well as to the people living in those places. As a nation we express our collective condolences, offer our heartfelt prayers, and work to contribute whatever we can toward their healing.

Caregiving and Hospice, April 14 - April 20, 2013

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

Positioning with pillows as a comfort in hospice caregiving, http://j.mp/11qKYko « Caring with Confidence

A hospice volunteer who happens to be a dog named Rosie, http://ow.ly/kbUIy « Miami Herald

LIFE'S END: Hospice care more available than thought http://bit.ly/11fqg6X « Missoulian

NHPCO and NFDA Announce a New Collaboration, http://bit.ly/15hjX9B « PRWeb

How Do You Describe Hospice, and When Do You Suggest It? http://j.mp/YxmDsC « ONS Connect

Understanding and Managing Grief, April 14 - April 20, 2013

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

Your Wedding Day after a Loss, http://j.mp/ZE7lBE « What's Your Grief

Sibling Loss: The Forgotten Griever, http://j.mp/17wnoWK  by Caroline Flohr, author of Heaven's Child

Poem: “My Daddy’s #Grief” « Grieving Dads Project http://j.mp/XUYGRa

Yes. Robert Slayton: Let Us Grieve First, http://j.mp/17sXxiw « HuffPost Healthy Living

Surviving the Unthinkable,  http://j.mp/XJzlaC « The Grief Toolbox

Coping with Pet Loss, April 14 - April 20, 2013

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

Good article about dealing with pet loss, http://j.mp/102ZQUT « Florida Today

A Different Grief: Coping with Pet Loss, http://j.mp/15oROxH

Betrayal, Fear of Separation and Unresolved Grief

[Reviewed and updated August 15, 2022]

Disappointments in love, even betrayals and losses, serve the soul at the very moment they seem in life to be tragedies. The soul is partly in time and partly in eternity. We might remember the part that resides in eternity when we feel despair over the part that is in life. ~ Thomas Moore, in Care of the Soul

A reader writes: I am a soldier in the US Army recently returned from Afghanistan. I spent a year there and found out last December that my wife had been in love with a Catholic priest for 3 years unbeknownst to me (he was a friend of the family). She never let on to him that she was in love, however, her devotion to him was very intense. I know this from their emails, friends and my wife’s own admission. They were rarely alone together, and did nothing untoward with each other (physically). My wife allowed me to believe that the emotional distance between us was caused by my neglect of the relationship and nothing else.

Caregiving and Hospice, April 7 - April 13, 2013

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

Change the warfare metaphors when it comes to illness, http://j.mp/ZUxSSq « KevinMD.com

Smart! Hospice develops app to speed patient referral, education, access to care, http://bit.ly/157fwys via @ctsinclair and @abbrody

When Caregiving Ends and Grieving Begins, http://j.mp/16UmlkW « The Grief Toolbox

Jennifer Aniston's Guide to Friendship: Keep It Old,  http://bit.ly/10IxAsR « Brainstorm

Beautiful: An Open Letter to Men Who Are Caregivers,  http://j.mp/1722jDw « Leeza's Place

Understanding and Managing Grief, April 7 - April 13, 2013

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

Watch the 2-minute trailer for the 40-min film, "Children and Grief," http://ow.ly/jWRbR « Professor Child

And I will light a candle for you, http://griefsong.com by Paul Alexander « Grief Song

Be inspired: Let go of grief, not your loved one, http://j.mp/16T95gB by @Tabitha_Jayne

Powerful: Contrary To the Natural Order, http://j.mp/14iTd9s « No Points for Style Blog

Powerful: Can Forgiveness Play a Role in Criminal Justice? http://j.mp/156cgTB « New York Times

Coping with Pet Loss, April 7 - April 13, 2013

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

A Crazy Ferret and Supportive Friends Help with Pet Loss, http://j.mp/YkD7Ep by @RainStickland

When Animals Mourn: Taking Solace From Knowing That Grief Is Not Uniquely Human, http://j.mp/1537iab

Tips on Sorting a Loved One's Personal Belongings

Find an updated version of this post here:

In Grief: Sorting a Loved One's Personal Belongings

A reader writes:  When you have a bajillion things that have to be done, but you can't do anything because grief has taken control of you, what gets you going again? I've been doing pretty well, two months into my journey. But I haven't done much with my husband's personal belongings. So far, I've been telling myself to wait to tackle all this until I feel stronger. But now I'm getting anxious that these tasks are piling up around me. I'm confused about what to do first, and my inner parent is telling me, 'These things won't go away, slacker. You have to do something about them, ASAP.'

Caregiving and Hospice, March 31 - April 6, 2013

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

Ten Facts about Hospice Care You May Not Know,  http://j.mp/17j11a8 « NHPCO

Best Parkinson's Websites:  Easy to navigate, concise/clear information, http://bit.ly/13SBbe6 « Caring.com

Pre-Planning a Funeral to Ease a Family's Grief, http://buff.ly/XRwEoJ « AgingCare.com

The different emotions of a caregiving wife, http://j.mp/14TqUxX « Caring with Confidence

Anticipatory Grief in Caregiving, http://j.mp/10zSRGr

Understanding and Managing Grief, March 31 - April 6, 2013

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

Audio: Good Mourning: Talking to Children About Death and Grief, http://j.mp/XYPpXh « The Grief Toolbox

When Good Grief Goes Bad: Complicated or Prolonged Grief, http://j.mp/10Be42t via @AllenFrancesMD

Grief and Pinterest,  http://j.mp/10iQAQ3 « What's Your Grief

Lovely metaphor for grief: Masterpiece In the Making, http://j.mp/YxSBbG « Widow's Voice

Why Rituals Still Matter,  http://j.mp/13U3o4f « Grief Digest Magazine

Coping with Pet Loss, March 31 - April 6, 2013

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

MeiMei Fox: A Meditation on Impermanence, http://j.mp/XjZYCx

Great resource for those who have children or clients with children going through pet loss, http://j.mp/mSiBNs via @VetWisdom

Finding solace after pet loss, http://j.mp/Xo3gai via @CitywidePets

Real men don't cry? Don't believe it! http://j.mp/14TWGuA via @landofpuregold

The Love of a Good Dog, http://j.mp/102KjaV « LOVE LIVES ON