Category: Blog

By: Allyson England Drake, M.Ed, CT Dia de los Muertos, also known as “Day of the Dead” is a holiday that is celebrated all over the world on November 1st and 2nd each year. This Mexican holiday is full of traditions and ways to honor our deceased loved ones. Dia de los Muertos celebrates both … Continue reading Dia de los Muertos

By: Jenny Bliley, LCSW, Bliley's Funeral Home, Guest Blogger “Sometimes love is for a moment, Sometimes love is for a lifetime, Sometimes a moment is a lifetime.” Over thirty years ago, Bliley Funeral Home created a memorial service called Interment of Angels for families who experience a miscarriage or stillborn loss. The service was originally … Continue reading After a Miscarriage or Stillbirth: The Benefits of a Memorial Service

By: Shannon O'Neill, Guest Blogger In the last year and a half, I have lost two of the most important people in my life -- my husband and my mother.  Not long after my husband Daryl died in October 2020, I started an open letter to him. It’s titled “Happy Anniversary,” because I started it … Continue reading I Write Letters to the Dead and I Wear Their Clothes

By: Rachel Machacek, LCSW When talking about self care in grief, yoga and meditation are excellent (and research-backed) strategies for grounding and stabilizing, especially when grief feels like a high speed roller coaster, whipping us around with no end of the ride in sight. It’s a whole body-mind-spirit experience that often takes us out of … Continue reading Easy Yoga for Grief: Two poses. Two minutes.

By: Shannon Weisleder, Guest Blogger "Because of you, I will always have a friend." Ten years ago, I lost my only brother Matthew to suicide. He was 41 years old. It is a terrible thing to lose a sibling and most traumatic when it is to suicide. You feel as though part of your identity which has … Continue reading Sibling Loss

By: Allyson England Drake, M.Ed, CT Kenneth Doka created the term disenfranchised grief as “a loss that is not or cannot be openly acknowledged, socially sanctioned, or publicly mourned.” It is known as “hidden grief or sorrow.” Many times, those who are grieving a loss that is termed disenfranchised, they feel like they cannot openly … Continue reading What is Disenfranchised Grief?

By: Britt Cowart, LCSW There are approximately 47 plus million Senior Citizens in the US (65 and older) and this population is doubling. The average age expectancy is 78+ years and rising. With a growing aging population, it’s typical and expected that Seniors are experiencing increased loss and associated grief. The pain of grief is not lessened … Continue reading Seniors and Grief

By: Rev. Stephen Coleman, Reveille United Methodist Church, Guest Blogger One hot summer afternoon, my dad and I were riding in the car together, heading home just after playing a round of golf. Somehow, the subject of the death of his mother arose in the conversation. My grandmother died of cancer at age 62, when she was still … Continue reading Faith in Times of Grief and Loss

By: Kristen Emerson, LCSW, Bon Secours Bereavement Center, Guest Blogger Grief is unique for each person, but sometimes themes emerge for different types of loss. Read below for information specifically for young adults after a loved one’s death. Themes that are relevant for grieving young adults: Bittersweet milestones. Young adults experience significant life events in rapid succession … Continue reading Young Adult Grief

By: Deirdre Turner, CYT, Guest Blogger When my sister’s life was taken by homicide, I found myself in an anguished state of grief and shock; solid ground had been removed from underneath my feet and I was falling, endlessly it seemed, into a dark chasm from which there seemed to be no escape. I attended my … Continue reading Yoga During Grief: 3 Helpful Activities Anyone Can Do Now