Caring For Yourself

Perspective

September 25th, 2012
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Photo By Patti Raab
Have you ever been sitting in your car at a traffic light waiting for the light to turn and you look out the window and see something that’s probably been there for months but right at that moment it’s as if you are seeing it for the first time?
Why haven’t I noticed that building before?  Are those new plants?  How long has that bench been there?
When you slow down or stop the usual routine of what you are doing, it can give you an opportunity to really see the world around you and notice … Read More

First Down in the Grief Zone

September 23rd, 2012
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Washington Redskins I recently called a woman I know whose husband died a number of months ago.  It hasn’t quite been one year yet and I wanted to check in with her and see how she was doing. She said Sundays were particularly hard especially when the weather is classically crisp and autumnal.  Her husband was a huge sports fan and the television would be on all day.  Pre-game shows, the games, switching between the games during commercials and post-game shows.  It was all about football. Depending on who was playing, her husband would yell and scream good things and… Read More

Working Through Emotional Pain

September 19th, 2012
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Sunrise off the coast of Ireland At one time, I thought that if you ignored something unpleasant it would go away or solve itself on it’s own. And sometimes that actually does happen: people move away, they change jobs or people decide to transfer their children to another school. But for the big emotional stuff — grieving, divorce, abuse, illness — I find you have to face it and slowly work through the painful issues to get to the other side of it and eventually heal your inner self.  I have found that if you ignore the emotional pain from… Read More

The Courage To Be Yourself

September 14th, 2012
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  Lizzie Velasquez A woman I work with came into my office yesterday afternoon and said,  “You have to go on Yahoo and read this amazing story about a woman who weighs only 60 pounds.” What???? Of course, I logged on to Yahoo and right away I saw the story about a 23-year-old woman who weighs only 60 lbs, has no body fat or muscle and must eat every 15 to 20 minutes to sustain herself.  Tragically, Lizzie Velasquez of San Antonio, TX is one of only three people in the world born with this rare medical condition. My heart… Read More

Riding The Rollercoaster

September 5th, 2012
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Dear Readers: Just as you may find yourself on an emotional roller coaster, so do I. I have days, just as you do, when things don’t go well and I feel as if I am treading water or even going backwards a bit.  Writing and sharing with you the ups and downs of daily life helps me and I hope it helps you.  When you read Cry, Laugh Heal, I hope you discover that you are not alone in your feelings of bereavement and your quest to rebuild a new life. I certainly do not have it all together all… Read More

Zen Me

August 28th, 2012
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  Zen Garden Number One “I wait for time to heal the pain and  raise me to my feet once again — so that I can start a new path, my own path, the one that will make me whole again.”                                                       ~ Jack Canfield, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II Zen Garden Number Two… Read More

Nature Girl In Search Of Healing

August 27th, 2012
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Courtesy of The Magic Onions I love this picture! Serene and peaceful, can’t you feel the healing power of the flowers?  The first time I saw it, I mentally slipped into the photograph and felt the aura of  its calming vibe.  I could practically smell the beautiful flowers in the shape of a majestic sun surrounding the Nature Girl. Ommmmmmmm.  The healing is starting and it can happen for all of us but we need to be patient.  Healing takes time.  The most important thing about restoring your mental and emotional health after the loss of a loved one is… Read More

On Your Own Time

August 20th, 2012
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Slowly but surely, I have found that the passage of time does help you gain inner strength and perspective as you try to adjust to an altered life after the loss of a loved one.  Your emotions are not as a raw as they were in the beginning of the grieving process and eventually you start to feel that you have more control over the sadness and confusion concerning your loss. It just doesn’t happen as fast as everyone else wants it to happen. Unfortunately, our go-go society is not very tolerant of understanding how much time it really and… Read More

Why Did I Come Into This Room?

August 9th, 2012
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This morning I got in the car and put the key in the ignition when my mind started wandering back to the house, to the kitchen in particular, and I wondered, “Did I unplug the tea kettle?” It is embarrassing to admit but when I am leaving the house, there are many, many times when I cannot remember whether I turned something off.  I generally have a mental list of the same things that I need to do every day so why does this happen? I really try to prevent going through the house over and over to recheck myself,… Read More