Posts Tagged: coping

A Buddhist Rice Bowl

November 26th, 2013
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Here Is Something To Think About. . . .

“In Zen Buddhism, there’s a concept called ‘zen mind,’ or beginner’s mind.’  They say that the mind should be like an empty rice bowl.

If it’s already full, then the universe can’t fill it.

If it’s empty, it has room to receive.

This means that when we think we have things figured out, we’re not teachable.  Genuine insight can’t dawn on a mind that’s not open to receive it.

Surrender is a process of emptying the mind.”

                                  ~ By Marianne Williamson, “A Return To Love,
Reflections on the Principles of A … Read More

Nate Berkus Moves Forward

November 25th, 2013
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When I share stories on this blog about my travels with grief over the past several years, I do so in the hopes that it will help others cope with their losses.  Grief can be isolating even though I believe most people want to connect with others and especially those who have been where they are when they experience a loss.I think everyone wants to feel that someone, anyone gets what’s going on with them; especially at this time of the year. One of the ways I found a connection was through reading.  In the beginning of grieving the loss… Read More

50 Years Ago In Dallas

November 22nd, 2013
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On November 22, 1963, I was 9 years old and off from school that day because I felt sick. I was under the covers of my parents bed and watching the black and white television they had in their bedroom.  For some reason my Dad was home that day and he come upstairs to see how I was when the television programming stopped and the unbelievable and shocking news was announced that President John F. Kennedy has been shot in Dallas and died. I had never seen my father cry before and I didn’t know what to do.  He went… Read More

Star Night Star Bright

November 21st, 2013
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I am one of those old school people who still have a daily newspapers delivered to my house.  During the work week when I go outside to get the newspaper, it is dark and the moon and the stars are still shining in the sky. It’s a great time to collect my thoughts for the day. This morning I took a moment to stand still on the sidewalk, take a deep breath, and say a prayer of gratitude for a new day and whatever it might bring.  As I gazed at the quiet beauty of the moon hanging in the… Read More

Holiday Party Questions

November 20th, 2013
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Hi there!! It’s me again and I am back today with what I hope is timely information to help you deal with the topsy turvy happenings of the holiday season. You will, and probably already have, received invitations to holiday parties and you may or may not be looking forward to going.  If you have recently lost a loved one I am very sorry that this personal tragedy is happening to you.  Socializing while in the throes of grief can be a bit of a high wire act. I say it’s a delicate balance because you don’t want to isolate… Read More

Kris Carr’s Golden Ticket

November 19th, 2013
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I recently wrote about some of the good things I learned about surviving a personal trauma in the ten years after my husband’s death (No Lifeguard On Duty http://crylaughheal.com/no-lifeguard-on-duty/).  After that post was published, many people told me they found it helpful to know how things feel ten years after a loss. No matter how crazy and afraid you feel after a loss, it’s essential to keep trying to find the support you need until you discover a different way to live.  Even though change is the last thing you want to do, change is possible.  It feels as though… Read More

Holiday Mash-Up

November 18th, 2013
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In music, mashups are when a performer or group combines the instrumentals of one song with the vocals of another song and then the mashup, or blending if you will, is played as a new song.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it flops. In retail, this is the time of year for practicing what I think of as a huge marketing mash-up.  Stores no longer wait for one holiday to almost happen and then stock the shelves with the decorations or products for the next holiday.  There is no longer any retail restraint with regard to holidays; it’s just throw… Read More

No Lifeguard On Duty

November 14th, 2013
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If you had told me ten years ago that it would take me this long to navigate my conflicting feelings of loss and truly come to grips with the fact that my husband died, he’s not coming back and I’ll never see him again, I would have thought you were smoking something and totally out there. In the beginning, I was just trying to survive which meant working a full-time job and raising a thirteen-year-old boy by myself.  I honestly didn’t think beyond the day I was in.  That’s all I could manage.  I constantly told myself that other women… Read More