Posts Tagged: grief

Sentimental Christmas Stockings

December 13th, 2012
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Stockings Belonging to Daddy, Mommy & R

” . . . And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care;

 In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. . .”From “Twas The Night Before Christmas”
By Clement Clarke Moore
These  are our sentimental Christmas stockings, hung on our fireplace every year, in hopes that Santa Claus will think we have been good and fill them with lots of treats.
I know they are a bit on the tacky side but they represent a lot of good feelings and great memories.
They don’t match each other or the
… Read More

Melissa’s Story

December 4th, 2012
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Melissa Betrand Knights (baseball cap) with her children After a loved one dies, we try to find ways to stay connected to them even though they are no longer physically with us. Our memories of being with that person, or of just the person by themselves, is a strong bond that can never be broken.  Sometimes we save a piece of clothing they wore or some everyday item that brings great meaning to us.  Being in a particular place, smelling a scent or hearing a song can bring those strong memories back to us without any notice but sometimes that… Read More

Holiday Survival Tips

November 27th, 2012
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Finding Inner Peace During the Holiday Season Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas or Hanukkah, the holiday season is filled with lots of conflicting memories and overwhelming expectations. Let’s be real: There is no such thing as a perfect holiday. There is only the holiday that you create yourself and celebrate, hopefully with people you care about and people who also care about you. The size of the decorations, the cost of the decorations, the number of parties, the quantity of food and alcohol and the amount of presents has nothing to do with the happiness you may or may not feel… Read More

Fostering Resilience

November 15th, 2012
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“Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love, and it would be wrong to try to find a substitute. . . That sounds very hard at first, but at the same time it is a great consolation. For the gap, as long as it remains unfilled, preserves the bond between us. It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap: he doesn’t fill it, but on the contrary, he keeps it empty and so helps us to keep alive our former communion with each other, even at the cost of pain. The dearer and richer… Read More

Now Is Powerful

November 12th, 2012
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Photo By Patti Raab When I was in my twenties, I felt as though I had all the time in the world to do whatever it was I wanted to do.  I think that feeling was the luxury of youth.  I had no sense of needing to get things done urgently because if it didn’t happen today I was confident that I would get another chance tomorrow.  There would always be tomorrow for a do-over, if you will. “See you tomorrow!” “Oh, I’ll tell you about that later.” “Yeah we have to find a date and then we’ll do it. … Read More

Sometimes A Decision Is Made For You

November 8th, 2012
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Maybe it’s a bit of an election “hangover” or perhaps a reflection of my personal life, but lately it seems as though I have been on a decision-making bender of sorts. Has this ever happened to you?  I’m not sure if it’s true for you or not, but when it’s happening to me it feels as though I am going from one decision to the next with no breaks.  These decisions vary in importance — from stuff around the house to personal issues — but still they seem to keep coming at me with no end in sight. Just when… Read More

Finding Grief Support

October 24th, 2012
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I recently went back to the beginning of Cry Laugh Heal and read my the first post from 2010 and it brought all the crazy grieving feelings back to me: exhaustion, numbness, raw emotions, the scary future and sometimes even laughter! But it also reminded how great my support group was during that time and how it gave me the priceless gift of hope and helped me feel that life really would get better (somehow?!?!) even though my sweetheart of a husband died.  As I met with my small group twice a month, some sessions were incredibly upsetting and some… Read More

The Big 300

October 22nd, 2012
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Today marks my 300th post. It’s a personal milestone and truly a huge deal for me.  Big thanks go out to all of my family (especially my son, Ryan, who is my biggest blog cheerleader), friends and readers out there in the internet world who read Cry, Laugh, Heal.   You give me more than you know and I read and respond to all of the great feedback I receive!  And I hope to receive lots more feedback as I continue to write about the incredibly silly, sometimes sad and mostly spontaneous events that happen to me on my new journey… Read More

A Sweet Smile

October 8th, 2012
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  Photo By Sam Costanza When I first saw this story I thought it was about a guy driving a cab in New York City who just liked to give candy to his customers for fun. But the story is more than that. This quirky story is really about coming to terms with a loss in your life and how this man, who drives a cab in New York City, found a way to rebuild his life and make it less painful by bringing a smile to others.  It certainly is a unique way of dealing with grief. Wouldn’t you… Read More