Cry Laugh Heal

Humor Therapy

March 5th, 2011
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Do you know there is actually a medical term for using humor to help yourself feel better?

According to WebMD, humor therapy or therapeutic humor, purposely uses the power of smiles and laughter to promote healing and distract the person from pain, or in this case, the emotional confusion permeating your life while grieving.

New grief is all about learning to live with a sense of unreality.  Unfortunately, until you actually experience this raw emotion, you can’t really imagine how it feels.  You think you know, you think you can conjure up those feelings of deep pain but it doesn’t … Read More

George Carlin’s !0 Life Tips

February 26th, 2011
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The late comedian George Carlin was famous for pushing the entertainment envelope and broke new ground by using a great deal of profanity in his stand-up routines.  Whether you agreed with his style of comedy or not, Carlin truly understood the power of laughter. Laughter releases stress and boosts your immune system.  Finding humor in a situation can also make you feel more in control because you are the one poking fun at something and not the other way around.  Moreover, doctors are reporting that laughter can be a powerful distraction from pain and illness.  If you saw the movie,… Read More

Liam Neeson

February 20th, 2011
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I am always on the look-out for stories where people open up and reveal how they handle their feelings of grief.  As you know, the subject of grief is not considered a mainstream topic of conversation because it is such an emotional minefield.  To do so means revealing deep pain and vulnerability; which is hard for anyone to do; but especially hard if you are a celebrity or a public official. It can be almost impossible to get men to talk about how they feel about most things — unless it’s a sports team or a political party — so… Read More

A Friend In Need

February 15th, 2011
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I recently received a call from a friend telling me that her husband died the day before.  For the past year, I knew something was going on with her husband but she never shared the details with me and I didn’t feel it was my place to ask.  I was shocked as I listened to her tell me the tragic news.  In fact, I was in the car when she called me and I immediately pulled over to the side of the road. A rush of mental images of her and her husband and being in the hospital went through… Read More

Paris In Pennsylvania — 2011 Philadelphia Flower Show

February 9th, 2011
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Everyone is tired of the ice, the snow, the cold and winter in general. For those who are grieving,  winter can be particularly harsh.  As an antidote to this dreary time of year, Sibley Hospital is organizing a day trip on Wednesday, March 9 to the 2011 Philadelphia International Flower Show.  This year’s theme is “Springtime in Paris” and visitors can expect to enjoy spectacular flower sculptures and carousel topiaries as well as lush flowering trees, lilacs, roses and borders of lavender. Travel Itinerary — Wednesday, March 9, 2011 8:00 am        Depart Westwood Shopping Center in Bethesda, Md. 11:00 am      … Read More

Return To Sender

February 3rd, 2011
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You never know what the U.S. Postal Service will bring your way. Last night I arrived home late.  It had been a long day at work and I was tired and hungry.  I have a mail slot in my front door so when I open it to enter the house, the mail is usually scattered all over the floor.  I bent down, gathered it all up and starting looking at what was delivered. It was the usual assortment of flyers, magazines and a couple of envelopes, one of which was particularly thick.  I turned it over and saw that the… Read More

Anniversary Rituals?

January 29th, 2011
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This month would have marked the 25th anniversary of our wedding if my husband was still alive.  I wonder if he knows?  If things had turned out differently, I’m sure we would have thrown a big party for our family and friends to help us celebrate 25 years flying by since we first said “I do” to each other. I looked at the calendar this year and thought about all those other anniversaries.  Of course, I haven’t celebrated a wedding anniversary for the past eight years and, truth be told, some anniversaries were more fun than others.  I think that’s… Read More

The Golden Globes — A Beautiful Song

January 20th, 2011
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The multi-talented singer songwriter Jewel At The Golden Globes While watching the Golden Globes this past Sunday night, I was reminded of a beautiful song that the singer/songwriter Jewel performed in 2010 during the “In Memorium” section of the program.  Jewel said she wrote the song, titled “A Hole In My Heart,” about a friend who had recently passed away. Thanks to Google, I found the lyrics to her touching song and thought I would share them with you: “A Hole In My Heart” By Jewel September settled softly Leaves are starting to fall I recall, last time you were… Read More

It’s A Love Thing — Valentine’s Day Workshop

January 14th, 2011
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The human heart is an amazing organ. We fall in love, break up, and then perhaps fall in love over and over again, testing the resiliance of our courageous hearts.  Somehow, throughout our lives, we ride this emotional rollercoaster and our hearts manage to survive and keep on beating.  When a relationship doesn’t work out, we are sad but eventually we pick ourselves up and carry on until we meet the next person who catches our fancy. But when your loved one dies, it truly feels as though you heart has broken into a million pieces and the first thing… Read More