Respondent
Laura Slap-Shelton was widowed at the age of 35 in 1991. Her first husband died suddenly leaving her with their 13 month old daughter. Being a psychologist, Laura assumed after the first week of her …

June was graduation month for most American high schools.  Our twin grandchildren graduated then, and my husband and I attended the ceremony.  It was an emotional experience because we are GRGs, grandparents raising grandchildren.  We …

After any significant loss, we feel empty, lost, and engulfed with indescribable pain. One grueling process in grief work is connecting our feelings and state of being with words. However, once we get passed this …

Many people have suffered some kind of loss of a loved one through death.  Personally, I’ve lost both sets of grandparents, my father, two uncles and four aunts, not to mention family friends. 
 
But nothing prepared me …

On the first anniversary of our daughter’s death, my husband and I held a graveside service in her memory. It was a brief service because the February temperature hovered around zero and the wind chill …

I vividly remember April 19, 1995. My daughter Nina had heard on the news that something horrible had just occurred in Oklahoma City. She told me that a federaloffice building had been bombed, killing many …

Ever since my daughter died from the injuries she received in a car crash in 2007, I’ve become more aware of the sacred moments in my life.  Before she died I thought I was aware …

Every year on the morning of Mother’s Day, I cry.
On this special day, I’m greeted with a huge dimpled smile from our daughter Dempsey, who sneaks into our room, usually with a present she has …

Child-loss is so very devastating. In the beginning, you can find little or no joy. But after several months, I was able to feel some comfort. So I tried to zero in on that and do things …

Losing a child will be the most difficult loss in your life, but you can and will get through it. One of the most productive ideas for your well-being after the death is choosing to find a cause, …

April 11 was my second-born grandson, Conner’s, birthday.  He would have been 16 this year.  Oh, the fun age.  The 16th birthday, to me, is when you no longer feel like you are a child …

My beautiful daughter Sara passed away almost 8 years ago. She was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). She was just 19 and turned 20 years old in the hospital. I spent every day and …

Dreams and signs of our children. Do they really exist? Are dreams and signs a technique our deceased children use to contact us to let us know they are fine and indeed do live on?
I …

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. – Dr. Seuss
I love this quote and I will try my best everyday to live this although some days it is challenging.  Some days it …

Four years ago, I lost my beautiful 23-year-old daughter, Keren, on March 18, 2006. Therefore, I know firsthand how painful it is to lose a child. At first, I really didn’t think I would survive, …

My daughter, Katie Brant, was my hero. 
She was given an overwhelming challenge which she met valiantly, fearlessly and always with a greater good in mind.  I witnessed Katie’s bravery early on when she marched down …