Posts Tagged: support groups

In Honor Of The Oscars

March 3rd, 2014
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In honor of the Oscars last night, I’d like to give out a personal award.Last night’s Academy Awards speeches seemed to me to be particularly emotional, expressing the gratitude of recognition, the fulfillment of dreams and deep thanks for the years of incredible support that people received while working on their ground breaking film projects.It brought to mind for me the role that others play in our lives during difficult times and reminded me that support groups around the country are on the front lines of our communities, doing the nitty gritty, down and dirty and painful work of helping … Read More

With A Little Help From My Friends

November 7th, 2013
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Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends, Mmm, gonna try with a little help from my friends. . .                                         ~ The Beatles Whether it’s alcoholism, gambling, overeating, drug addiction or grief, I believe that others who are traveling the same unpredictable path as ourselves can often offer the greatest amount of inspiration. It may seem slow and incredibly painful but I found that when you sit and share your story with others facing the same issues, there is a sense of relief that you have finally found people who understand the depth of what you are… Read More

Amazing You!

September 26th, 2013
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A significant and ongoing part of the grieving process is learning what to do with the confusing feelings you experience. What am I supposed to do with the sad, angry, and surreal emotions I have inside me about the person who used to be in my life?  That person who was here yesterday, but is not here today, and won’t ever be here for a lot more todays in the future.  How can I turn those sad, angry, surreal feelings into constructive feelings so that I can make a future for myself? Acceptance of my new life and my new… 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

It’s Not What You Think

October 26th, 2012
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  To show you how little I knew about loss and the grieving process, I thought that the first year after my husband’s death was going to be the hardest time that I would ever have to experience.  My thinking was something along the lines of  “If I can get the first year under my belt, then each year after that will become easier to handle.” Right? Guess what? Not. Always. True. Grief is always full of surprises and just when you think you have it under control, you don’t. The first year was so raw with emotion for me… 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

Working Through Emotional Pain

September 19th, 2012
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Sunrise off the coast of Ireland At one time, I thought that if you ignored something unpleasant it would go away or solve itself on it’s own. And sometimes that actually does happen: people move away, they change jobs or people decide to transfer their children to another school. But for the big emotional stuff — grieving, divorce, abuse, illness — I find you have to face it and slowly work through the painful issues to get to the other side of it and eventually heal your inner self.  I have found that if you ignore the emotional pain from… Read More

Dr. Seuss

June 26th, 2012
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Today is twenty fours hours that has never happened before and won’t happen again. Think about it.  We all have daily commitments and responsibilities but maybe today is the day to take that first step towards doing something you’ve had on the back burner. As Dr. Suess says, “You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” Is there a project you’ve been meaning to start? A person you need to call?  A diet or exercise change you want to introduce into your life?  A support group you’ve been meaning to attend? Today we face and embrace the thing we’ve been… Read More

Julie Potter — Sibley Hospital Angel

July 1st, 2011
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I write today about a special woman named Julie Potter who played a pivotal role in putting me and many others on the path to resilience. Today is Julie’s last day at Sibley Hospital and I know that she will be missed quite a lot; especially by me!!!!!  True to her nature, Julie always downplays her valuable contributions and the vast resources she has set up at Sibley to help others. Besides her primary responsibilities at Sibley’s Senior Services department, Julie also oversees the Widowed Persons Outreach (WPO) bereavement group.  For 21 years, Julie has reached out to help people… Read More