It’s Not Happy Holidays For All

not happy holidays for grieving

It’s that time of year when everyone is writing about the holidays and grief. Or rather the grief that holidays bring on, remind us of. Most of those articles and blog posts contain similar themes, great advice, and useful tips. Do I have anything new to add? Perhaps not. Except to remind you that your…

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No Heart for the Holidays

no heart for holidays

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 up lists of sweets to order, firecrackers and clothes to buy…

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Nobody can delay death

nobody delays death

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 mom, 29-year-old brother and Julia’s 7-year-old son, Julian, were brutally murdered in their home by Julia’s estranged…

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What the dying need from us

wat the dying need from us

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 do you, as family, or primary caregiver,…

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