Why the holidays hurt – and how to get through them with your children There’s a particular heaviness that arrives with December when you’ve lost the person you expected to share your life with. It doesn’t always announce itself loudly. Sometimes it arrives as a quiet tightening in the chest when the lights go up …
Dreading December: How widowed parents survive christmas Read More »
When your child leaves home: How milestones can carry both joy and grief In August, my oldest daughter moved away from home to start university. We found her a wonderful flat, and after the first couple of weeks of adjusting and new-beginning jitters, she is thriving. I love it when she calls to ask about …
When your child leaves home: Joy, grief, and letting go Read More »
Losing your partner profoundly changes your life. Every aspect, from daily routines to future dreams, is affected. One often overlooked yet deeply impactful aspect is travel. When your partner passes away, the desire and ability to travel can feel dramatically altered. Perhaps you frequently travelled together, dreamed of future trips, or made cherished memories exploring …
May 15 is designated by the United Nations as the International Day of Families – a day to reflect on the family as a cornerstone of our lives. But what happens when a family is living with grief? When we lose a loved one, everything changes – not just for us individually, but also in …
When grief enters the family: How family dynamics are affected Read More »
Spring is officially here, bringing longer, brighter days filled with sunshine and warmth. For many of us, spring also means more social gatherings as the weather improves. While it’s wonderful to be invited out and spend time with others, attending social events after losing someone you love can be incredibly challenging. In the first years …
Are you unsure what to say to someone who has suffered a loss? What do you say to someone who has lost someone? This is something I myself was unsure of before my husband became ill. I completely understand why many people ask this question and feel uncertain or uncomfortable about what they can say. …
What do you say to someone who has suffered a loss? Read More »
The 5 or 7 stages of grief You might have heard about the stages of grief, and since you’ve opened this blog post, you’re probably looking to better understand what these stages involve. Perhaps you feel you are somewhere in your grief journey that more or less aligns with one of these stages. Or maybe …
The Stages of Grief | Does Your Grief Follow the Grief Stages? Read More »
As a grief counsellor, I’m often asked, “How do you process grief?” It’s an important and understandable question because grief can feel very overwhelmingly. How exactly do you work through your grief and take steps toward rediscovering a life filled with joy and treasured memories? Losing someone we love is one of the hardest experiences …
Have you ever experienced bumping into someone you know at the supermarket, and the first thing they ask you is, “How are you doing?” The question is often asked in a gentle, caring tone, with their head tilted slightly to the side, maybe even accompanied by a compassionate hand on your arm. And even though …
When you lose someone you love, you lose an entire world When we lose someone we love, our whole foundation shifts – the way we see the world, our assumptions about how life works, and our belief that life is fundamentally good. While we often think we grieve solely for the person we’ve lost, our …
