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Is There Anything Funny about Death? 24 Writers Say Absolutely!

5/14/12 12:00am by VictoriaZackheim
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Funeral flowers

During the eighteen months before my mother's death, I remained at her side. We had a complicated relationship—true of so many mothers and daughters—and she didn't appreciate my daily reminders regarding her medications, her need to walk, the importance of eating. Mom was a visual artist, ardent reader, and political junkie; she didn't go in for idle chatter. As for sharing thoughts or feelings about her illness? Forget it.    Read more >

Suicide: A Child's Perspective

4/27/12 8:08am by misguidedmommy
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Kid

I was twelve when my father killed himself. That is young. That is a very impressionable age. Eighteen years later I can say that I kind of wish I never knew. I wish people had lied to me until I was older, old enough to say, “meh, really he killed himself, gee I never knew.” instead of being that young and doing every single thing wrong -- beginning the day I found out. When you are twelve you don’t fully understand loss. What you do understand is that people are suddenly really nice to you. As a kid I learned that the boy I had a crush on was nicer to me for an entire week because my dad had died. I learned that the mean girls were nice for a few days, and I learned that people around me were saying, “go easy on her, she just lost her dad.” Not every twelve year old would react like me, but my reaction?  Read more >

A Sibling Eulogy

4/16/12 9:30am by Heather Clisby
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Siblings

A sister honors her late brother in this beautiful tribute post, reflecting on their shared childhood and the unique qualities that made him so special:  Read more

God Connections in Playing Music

3/21/12 12:41pm by GoodGriefGuru
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Piano Player

There is a song I grew up hearing throughout my childhood.  If someone was to ask my family what ballad stood out the most to them, what melody was most frequently played, it would be this song.The sheet music of the composer has traveled with me from place to place.  It is so ratty and tattered.  I love how worn it has become.  It shows how well used it has been throughout all these years. The book of music holds the notes to renditions I had heard my whole life.  They are the songs I knew best from an artist I thought I knew well.  Read more >

New Labels: Widow, Single Parent

3/12/12 10:38am by GoodGriefGuru
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Support Group

When a spouse dies and you have children two things happen at once. You become a widow(er), and a single parent. Simultaneously.Overnight I adopted new labels. One moment I was married. The next I was not only widowed, but the sole care provider for our daughter.What do these new labels mean? Do they mean anything at all? I would say it depends on the day. If I am missing my husband, my friend, I feel quite widowed. Other days I accept that he is gone and I embrace that I am single. Single-with-experience.  Read more >

The Soundtrack of Loss

3/8/12 12:00pm by ShoreBookworm
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Cello

Jacqueline was classical music's darling in the 1960's. It seemed there were nothing but good things ahead. Then when she was 26, she began to notice a lack of sensation in her fingers and elsewhere in her body. She continued to play, but experienced more and more difficulty. Eventually, she would be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Despite attempts to defy the disease, she played her final public concert at the age of 28, and succumbed 14 years later, at 42.  Read more >

Moving On From Grief

2/27/12 9:47am by Heather Clisby
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Human Emotion

How does one move on from such a tragic loss at an early age? As this blogger demonstrates, with bravery, grace and one day-week-month-year at a time:  Read more

Giving a Loved One Permission To Die

2/21/12 7:45am by Heather Clisby
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Good Death

How do you tell your dying loved one that it's okay to go? I watched my stepmother do it with her 37-year-old daughter who had breast cancer and I can't even begin to imagine how hard it would be to get those words out. Fresh Widow has written an achingly honest post on this difficult subject:  Read more

Stigma Spelled 'S-U-I-C-I-D-E'

1/27/12 11:17am by GoodGriefGuru
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Sad Girl

I checked the mail today.  Inside was a large yellow envelope addressed to me from the Regional Supervising Coroner’s office.This envelope, I hoped, would contain some answers about my husband’s death that had been unclear.  When the police told me they had found my husband they took a guess as to what had happened.  A day later they retracted.  At any rate, it was clear there was uncertainty.  Read more >

Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Complete Life

1/16/12 11:40am by GoodGriefGuru
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MLK

 “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.  Read more >