Working Through Grief

Philip Seymour Hoffman

February 4th, 2014
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I was getting ready for work yesterday morning when I turned on the radio which was tuned to NPR.  The station was airing an interview it did with the incredibly talented and award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman when he was appearing on Broadway in 2012 as Willy Loman in a revival of the classic play, “Death of A Salesman.”
It was strange to hear Hoffman’s voice on the radio knowing that friends had found him Sunday in his New York apartment sadly and tragically dead of an apparent drug overdose at the young age of 46.
I stopped and listened … Read More

Pulling Together

January 29th, 2014
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I began writing Cry Laugh Heal in December 2010 to start an online discussion about grief and resilience, in particular to talk about the many ways we process it and how we can arrive at the realization that we can find strength and a different kind of future through our pain. My husband died in 2003 and I found that grief was not a topic most people wanted to talk about.  What a surprise right?  Of course, it was a subject I could go on and on about but in general it really makes people feel very uncomfortable and they… Read More

A New York Lesson

January 28th, 2014
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To have an uninterrupted block of time in which to read is to me a pure, unadulterated luxury. Don’t you just love that word luxury?  It just rolls off your tongue and sounds a bit sinful. Reading for pleasure is healing and similar to putting your foot on the brake of life, stopping your normal crunched up, sometimes scattered daily routine, and allowing your mind to travel elsewhere.  When I find a book that has a compelling story line I am mentally gone and immersed in the characters and their lives and lose all track of the passage of time. … Read More

When In Doubt

January 20th, 2014
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If you have ever have doubts about talking to someone you hardly know about a recent loss in their life, please think twice about ignoring the subject. You may think you are doing the person a favor by not mentioning their loss or the name of the loved one that died, but it doesn’t really work that way. Acknowledging is important and helpful to you, and more importantly, to the person experiencing the loss.  It’s extending sympathy or compassion and even though it may be hard to do, it’s something that needs to be done.  So take a deep breath,… Read More

Downton Abbey

January 19th, 2014
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Today I join millions of Downton Abbey fans who can’t wait to watch a new episode tonight. I am arriving at the Downton Abbey party very late, for I watched my very first episode last Sunday at the home of some great friends who have watched the popular series from the beginning.  This was very helpful to me because they were able to tell me exactly what was happening, who the characters were in relation to each other and the intricate backstory of different storylines. I’m not sure why I didn’t embrace this amazing award-winning series earlier.  I think I… Read More

The Notebook

January 15th, 2014
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I never know when I am going to read or hear something that I might want to use in writing a future blog post so I try to always carry a small notebook with me.  On the times that I have forgotten my notebook, I have written notes on the back of envelopes, cocktail napkins and business cards which then creates this messy pile of stray notes. For now, the small spiral notebook I am using is almost full and it caused me recently to flip through the worn pages to check and see if I had missed anything that… Read More

Creative Encouragement

January 14th, 2014
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Each day is a new opportunity to find inspiration! People, nature, architecture, words, acts of kindness or even criticism can spark inspiration in me to go forward and think about my life in a new or different way.  The world around us can serve to fuel the fire of our inner creativity or cause us to shift our ideas about the way life happens. Inspiration keeps me going and renews my faith and hope in the future of myself and others.  Regardless of where you find yourself right now or what happened to you last week, last month or last… Read More

Happy New 2014!

January 1st, 2014
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As I awake to the beginnings of a new day and a new year, I feel the air is crackling with the sense of possibilities. Let us embrace the unknown and untried. Let us go forward, secure in the knowledge that we are resilient. We can gain strength from our pain and, in turn, we will help others in their journey. For we are truly better together!  … Read More

A Broken Christmas Ritual

December 31st, 2013
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I can’t tell you why but for the first time in many years, I didn’t place a Christmas wreath on my husband’s marker at the cemetery. I thought about it.  I was going to do it.  But then I never did get around to it. I’m hoping that this doesn’t make me a bad person.I’m really hoping it just makes me a conflicted human being dealing with life the best way I know.Every Christmas since he died 10 years ago, I have made a personal ceremony out of placing a large Christmas wreath with a big red bow on his… Read More