Coping with Grief during the Holidays

no heart for holidays

Coping with grief during the holidays takes a lot of energy. Diwali, the festival of lights, is to India what Christmas is to the West. The first Diwali after my mother passed away in January of 2009 was the hardest. It was her favorite festival. In the countdown to it, she’d get really busy drawing…

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How to Lead with Compassion

nobody delays death

When we think about how to lead with compassion, our unresolved feelings often get in the way. Recently, I watched Oprah interview singing superstar Jennifer Hudson on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). In a segment of the show titled “Next Chapter”, Oprah invited Jennifer’s sister, Julia, to discuss their horrific family tragedy. In 2008, the sisters’ 57-year-old…

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What are the needs of the dying?

wat the dying need from us

What are the needs of the dying? Over the weeks and months following the grim diagnosis of terminal illness or a debilitating injury, your loved one experiences many losses. Once a healthy, functional, productive individual they begin to suffer a severe loss of identity. The valued role they played is soon a thing of the past. How…

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