About Michele Neff Hernandez
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Michele Neff Hernandez is the founder, and executive director of the Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation. SSLF is a non-profit organization committed to providing resources and support to people grieving the loss of a loved one. In addition to her work with the foundation, Michele inspires people as a motivational speaker and freelance writer. Through speaking to service groups, faith communities, Universities and hosting community seminars she has shared her thoughts on loss and hope with a variety of audiences. She is the creator of the Web site www.widowsbond.com and the Widow Match program. Since the death of her husband in 2005, she has made reaching out to other widows her personal mission. Ms. Hernandez’s various projects have been featured in the Ventura County Star, the Simi Valley Acorn, and the Riverside County Record. She is a contributing author to several websites and is chronicling the interviews she has done with widows across the country in a book called, The Healing Power of the Widow’s Bond. Currently she is planning a national widowhood conference scheduled for the summer of 2009. Ms. Hernandez is a resident of Simi Valley, California where she lives and laughs with her three amazing children. An avid runner and outdoor enthusiast, she actively encourages others to embrace the life we are given.
Michele Neff Hernandez's Articles
In Widowhood, What I Believe
Before my husband Phil died, I could have easily created a long list of my personal beliefs. This list would have included ideas about both the tangible and the intangible; broad concepts and specific ideals; …
The Weight of Wishing
Every once in awhile, I am able to see myself through another person’s eyes. It’s sort of like looking up and seeing an image in a mirror, and then realizing the face that is reflected there …
Cleaning the ‘Emotional Closet’ After a Loss
We put all kinds of things inside of closets. There are things you expect to find inside this storage space: sweaters, dresses, and shoes. Then there are the other things that you can’t find a …
A Meditation for Those Facing the First Anniversary of a Loss
As you approach the first anniversary of losing the amazing person that shared your life, I have a vision I would like to share with you.
I am imagining you wearing a heavily laden backpack. This …
First anniversary…
As you approach the first anniversary of losing the amazing person that shared your life, your love, your joys, and your sorrows; I have a vision I would liketo share with you…I am imagining you …
Lifting the Veil: Gloom Ends at a Wedding
By Michele Neff Hernandez –
The death of someone instrumental in our lives instantly changes our view of the world. Ordinary things are suddenly fraught with meaning, and insignificant moments become unexpectedly precious. ?After my husband …
How Should You Help a Grieving Widow?
By Michele Neff Hernandez –
Grief is a thief; it steals the breath of life and leaves devastation in its wake. What happens when grief robs a woman of not only her husband, but also her …
Mother’s Power Limited in the Face of Death
By Michele Neff Hernandez –
Motherhood brings out the lioness in me. No task is too small or sacrifice too great to ensure the well being of my three children. In my mind’s eye, I can …
Young Widow Overcomes Her Death Wish
By Michele Neff Hernandez —
?
It is an odd and frightening sensation to wish you were dead.? After my husband died, I fervently wished I could die, too. The first time I read that grieving people …
Wearing Husband’s Clothes Keeps His Memory Close
By Michele Neff Hernandez –??
For the first few weeks after Phil’s death, anything that had touched his body was sacred. His shoes were sitting where he last left them, his lunchbox remained on top of …
First-Ever National Conference on Widowhood
You are invited to attend the first?ever National Conference on Widowhood, which will be held on?July 17-19, 2009, at?the Marriott Hotel and Marina San Diego, California.?This conference if for widows, widowers, bereavement professionals, supportive friends …
Husband’s Soul Lives on in His Shoes
by Michele Neff Hernandez –
My husband had a shoe fetish.? Phillip owned shoes for all occasions and athletic events-some were kept only for their sentimental value.? To him, each pair either served a purpose or …
Affectionately Remembering a Valentine’s Day ‘Scrooge’
By Michele Neff Hernandez –??
My husband used to call Valentine’s Day “So What Day.’” Romantic, huh? He thought that greeting cards were a waste of trees,?that buying flowers because someone told you to defeated the …
From Sad to Silly: Christmas Memories Salve Widow’s Pain
By Michele Neff Hernandez –
There is a song on the radio at this time of year, sung by the Carpenters, called “Merry Christmas, Darling.”? The first Christmas after my husband Phil died, hearing this song …
Soaring Spirits Holds Conference on Widowhood
Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation
National Conference on Widowhood
San Diego, California
July 17-19, 2009
“Celebrating all we have accomplished as we look forward to what we have yet to become.”
The Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation National Conference on Widowhood …
Remembering Alexandria: A Personal Story of Perinatal Loss
Woman Loses Organs to Cancer, Still Revels in Life
Caregivers Need Time to Let Go
Respecting Boundaries When Comforting a Grieving Heart
Shhhh…Listen Closely. It’s the Sound of Someone Healing
August 26, 2010: Guest Charles Corr: Helping Children Cope with Death and Grief
