A Thanksgiving Day Message

Source

It is in giving that I connect with others, with the world and with the divine.  ~ Isabel Allende

As we pause to count our blessings in this season of gifting and giving thanks, I share with you a personal and powerful message about the meaning of love and the purpose of giving. Originally featured on NPR’s “This I Believe” series, this insightful piece was written by novelist Isabel Allende following the death of her adult daughter in 1992. While Paula languished in a coma for a year, her mother served as her primary caregiver, and here Allende shares the important life lessons she learned from that experience.

Caregiving and Hospice, November 17 - November 23, 2013

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

Use Your Bereavement Support System Wisely, http://j.mp/18SKR5n « Open to Hope

How doctors die, http://j.mp/I6zmRC « Marketplace

My Cancer Circle™ – an effective way to organize and to coordinate cancer care, http://j.mp/1fiodLv « Caregiving Cafe Blog

Understanding and Managing Grief, November 17 - November 23, 2013

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

Friday Favorites: November 22, 2013, http://j.mp/1bcjxVF « What's Your Grief?

What Jackie Knew: Children Grieve, http://j.mp/1bID4b7 « National Alliance for Grieving Children

Research: 'Widowhood Effect' Strongest During First Three Months, http://j.mp/I3Jf2c « Medscape Nurses

Coping with Pet Loss, November 17 - November 23, 2013

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

Bill of Rights for Grieving Animal Lovers, http://j.mp/WVDJn6 « Grief Healing Blog

Veterinary hospice comforts pets nearing life’s end, http://j.mp/1c2FraF « The Advocate

Losing Sal, http://j.mp/1hXpObm « Modern Loss

Coping with the Holidays: Suggested Resources 2013

Source

A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.  ~ Garrison Keillor

A reader writes: I just recently lost my mother after her two-year battle with breast cancer. I feel like a piece of me died right along with her. I was always close to my mother, and she was so close with my children. I don't know how to explain the hurt I feel inside. The weather is starting to change here by getting colder, which always brings the holidays - which brings me to the question: How do we deal with the empty chair at the holidays?

Caregiving and Hospice, November 10 - November 16, 2013

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

7 tips for receiving better cancer care near the end of life, http://j.mp/1aHZd8C « PBS Newshour

125 Notable Sites on Hospice and Palliative Care, http://j.mp/1bzOGk5 « Nursing Assistant Guides

The true cost of end-of-life care, http://j.mp/HTK9yj « Dr. Mark Thoma, America Blog

Understanding and Managing Grief, November 10 - November 16, 2013

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

Grief In The Second Year: Finding Your Way, http://j.mp/wRiJJS « Grief Healing Blog

Beautiful story for bereaved parents: Best Friends and the Lessons Learned, http://j.mp/18DOqfG « The Rev. Sue Wintz, HuffPost Healthy Living

There Is Always Something To Be Learned From Grieving, http://j.mp/1e68b4a « Lou LaGrand, eZine Articles

New Moderator Joins Grief Healing Discussion Groups

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Mary Friedel-Hunt, MA, LCSW to assist me in administering and moderating our online Grief Healing Discussion Groups, beginning this week. Many have come to know Mary through her loving presence on our site these last three years, ever since she came to us as a new member following the death of her beloved husband Bill on March 27, 2010. As a skilled and accomplished psychotherapist intimately familiar with the challenges of care giving, loss, grief and transition, Mary is uniquely qualified to serve in this capacity, and I am thrilled that she is willing to take on this new role, as henceforth she is officially designated as a Counselor and Administrator on our Discussion Groups site. Please join me in welcoming Mary to her new position.

Below, Mary shares her thoughts:

Caregiving and Hospice, November 3 - November 9, 2013

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

How Will You Have The Talk of a Lifetime with Your Family? http://j.mp/1968ir9 « A Good Goodbye

10 Ways to Honor a Soldier on VeteransDay, http://j.mp/1bewwSZ « About.com Death and Dying

Caregiving for a Spouse With Alzheimer's: Joan's Story, http://j.mp/17fsU5Y « Everyday Health

Understanding and Managing Grief, November 3 - November 9, 2013

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

Organ Donation: Mom Listens to Daughter’s Heartbeat One Last Time, http://j.mp/196RDnu « faithit

Powerful piece on missing someone dearly loved: I Didn't Know, http://j.mp/1awiZ6F « Widow's Voice

Book Review: A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis, http://j.mp/HGfR1P « SevenPonds Blog

Surviving A Spouse's Death by Suicide

[Reviewed and updated December 15, 2024]

There are always two parties to a death; the person who dies and the survivors who are bereaved. ~ Arnold Toynbee, Historian

A reader writes: I lost my husband to suicide last year and I am trying to cope. I am trying to move on, but I cannot do this alone anymore. I feel responsible, because he asked me to say something I could not say, and subsequently hanged himself. I feel so much remorse, guilt, pain, and it won't stop. I continually have thoughts to go to him. I am losing it by the day and don't understand what's happening to me. I need contact of some kind to know he is okay and does not blame me. I know we are all responsible for our own choices, but "yes" instead "no" would have made the difference in whether he was living today. I know this to be true. I don't know where to turn and am hoping you can save my life.

Caregiving and Hospice, October 27 - November 2, 2013

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

Showtime’s ‘Time of Death’: An important and honest look at what death is really like, http://j.mp/19YXCy3 « The Washington Post

Don't Be Afraid to Touch Death, http://j.mp/16SCifK « HuffPost Healthy Living

November is National Family Caregivers Month: 10 Things You Should Say to a Family Caregiver, http://j.mp/18Kpxy8 « The CareGiver Partnership

Understanding and Managing Grief, October 27 - November 2, 2013

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

Bouncing with Style: What does Grief Look Like? http://j.mp/1gjge0M « Sandra Beck

Yes. Faith, http://j.mp/1aRPrVj « Widow's Voice

So touching: Widow's Voice: In Between, http://j.mp/19jGmo1 « Widow's Voice

Coping with Pet Loss, October 27 - November 2, 2013

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

Killing My Goldfish: Thoughts on Power and Personhood, http://j.mp/Ht9SgN « Huffington Post

Finding Support for Pet Loss, http://j.mp/olji4Y « Grief Healing Blog

Navigating end-of-life with pets is more easily managed with the right support and knowledge, http://j.mp/1geFHsm « Ann Arbor News