Working Through Grief

Traveling in Hope

February 23rd, 2015
Posted By:

Wow! What a weekend! Here in Washington, DC, we received 6 to 8 inches of steady snow on Saturday but then by Sunday the temperatures rose up to the 40’s!  As my neighbor and I were out shoveling the slushy mesh, we both remarked that it was warm enough to take off our coats.

Today the temperatures are dropping back down again to February coldness so it just goes to show that you never know what Mother Nature is going to bring to us in terms of weather!  I also have that same kind of uncertain feeling about this upcoming … Read More

Torch By Cheryl Strayed

February 20th, 2015
Posted By:

As soon as I finished reading Wild, Cheryl Strayed’s fantastic New York Times best-selling memoir (http://crylaughheal.com/wild-by-cheryl-strayed/), I wanted to read more of Stayed’s work. I enjoyed seeing Wild the movie and thought it should have received more attention in terms of nominations but what I really wanted was to read more of Strayed’s honest and direct thoughts about the gritty aspects of life and loss, what happens to us through our friendships and who and how we love. I wanted to read more of the her words, and the way she chooses to put them together.  I truly have never… Read More

A Plucky Poem of Resilience

February 11th, 2015
Posted By:

// When I open my personal email early in the morning, one of my favorite things to see is an email from my son.  I don’t get them as much I did when he was in college because now I receive more text messages.  But still, receiving an email from him always makes me smile. The email that I write about today arrived over the weekend and in it my son wrote that a friend of his had seen the poem featured below and wanted to pass it along to me so that I could post it on Cry Laugh… Read More

Mastering One Mighty Wall

January 16th, 2015
Posted By:

Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson, the two men who courageously completed the historic climb up El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in California on Wednesday, were the topic of animated conversation yesterday in my office. People were wondering how they did it (can you believe it?), what kind of stamina it took to finish the climb (Dude you would have to be in incredible shape right?) and what your fingers would look like at the end of the climb (Totally bloody!).  This topic then lead people to talk about other people who practice extreme sports including some guy who wears… Read More

Permission To Feel

January 14th, 2015
Posted By:

There are times when I read something that clarifies an issue for me or it helps me connect the dots of information I have spread about in my brain and when this happens I want to share it for the information might also be a great resource for you too! In this case, it is an incredibly insightful piece that I read in this past Sunday’s New York Times.  It is written by Patrick O’Malley, a psychotherapist from Fort Worth, Texas, and his opinion piece addresses why people tend to grieve the way they think others want them to grieve,… Read More

A Birthday Reveal

January 9th, 2015
Posted By:

I’ve had 10 birthdays since my husband died and yesterday was the first birthday I celebrated when I didn’t think of him once during the day. I am not telling you this to sound sad or to express joy.  No way. I write of this today to say it’s confusing.  I never thought it would happen.  I’m not sure what it means, if it means anything.  I didn’t even realize it happened until the end of the day when I was getting ready to go to sleep. I still miss him dearly but I guess I am also reporting in… Read More

Helping Teenagers With Grief

December 19th, 2014
Posted By:

We are deep into the season of celebrating the holidays and messages of merriness are everywhere. Photo Courtesy of Huffington Post But what happens to teenagers when they are trying to cope with school and social pressures and then the parent of one of their friends dies? Or someone in their family dies? Adults are busy tending to shopping, decorating, cooking and organizing so it could be fairly easy to miss that the teenagers in your life might be having some difficulties at this time of year.  Are they spending a little bit more time by themselves or are they… Read More

A Lovely Diamond Heart

December 10th, 2014
Posted By:

And then there are acts of love that people randomly do that are often so selfless as to take your breath away. Upon reading the healing and tender story from Associated Press I am sharing below, I think it definitely fits into the category of giving when it hurts. The giving part of the story involves wedding rings.  I say to you, Lovely Boston Widow, I can’t imagine giving away my wedding rings in that manner, but at the same time, I say more power and blessings to you Lovely Boston Widow for doing it. High five!! Nothing so publicly… Read More

One Thankful Chick

November 27th, 2014
Posted By:

When I sit down today to share Thanksgiving dinner with different generations of my family, I will be mindful of the many blessings I have received this year, blessings that have helped me find a healing path and blessings that definitely make me one thankful chick. In turn, I hope your blessings this Thanksgiving are also bountiful as you spend time relaxing and having fun with your loved ones. And while blessings are the focus of today’s holiday, I am still one of those people imagining a chair at the Thanksgiving table wishing a deceased loved one might be sitting… Read More