Last year, when the 30th anniversary of my friend Curtis’ death was coming up, I set out on a journey of healing, to clean out whatever vestiges of internal emotional and psychological damage that might …

Every mourner has a story to share. You may share your story with family members, close friends, and community groups. But you need to share it without upsetting listeners so much they turn you off. …

More than three years have passed since four family members died. The shock of multiple losses — my elder daughter, father-in-law, brother, and former son-in-law — brought me to my knees. The deaths occurred successively, …

I was coasting through life, pretty comfortably, when suddenly I experienced something no mother should have to go through. I came out on the other side only due to God’s amazing grace. I would not …

For those of you who have read Brain Drain, you remember the chapter that started with a dialogue from the popular Seinfeld episode about George doing the opposite and finding success. In the same episode, …

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 …

How does someone pick up the pieces after losing a spouse and child in a tragic car accident that involved their whole family?  Sheri Boekweg-Nelson of Plain City, Utah, and her two kids survived this …

I close my eyes
It all goes away.
Today, tomorrow
The sorrow.
I open my eyes
Rushes back in.
Curse at my Lord
I’ve committed a sin.
If I keep them closed
I hide within.
Will he forgive me?
I’ve cursed him.
Open my eyes
Accept tomorrow.
The gift …

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 …

Today, I will take baby steps
And, hold my head high
With a prayer of hope for a smile.
Today, I will give myself a hug
And, accept that I am a human
With a prayer of hope for forgiveness.
Today, …

My mother and father passed away in 2008. They had Alzheimer’s and they died 36 days apart of each other. At the time of their diagnosis, their neurologist told me that my father …

The pain of tonight
He’s finally resting.
He’s not hurting
That is all that matters
In this life of mine.
The struggles of the past
Been there, died there.
Nothing compares
To the love of today
Wanting, wanting to protect.
How do I comfort?
Same question …

Today would have been my elder daughter’s birthday.  She was born on Thanksgiving Day decades ago.  The hospital staff was preparing a turkey dinner for the new mothers, and I was very aware of the tantalizing …

Almost every spiritual teacher I have ever come across talks about being in the NOW. Most of us know what it means intellectually, but rarely give it much thought or put it into practice.  Occasionally, …

People who were dying in the Middle Ages said their goodbyes, gave away the furniture, and just stopped breathing. The non-event was witnessed by friends and family, who, at the moment of death, absconded with …

In my younger days, I thought I could control change.  I learned, and not quickly I would add, that no one can control or stop change anymore than one can hold back the tides or …