Looking for materials and information to help make sense of your experience, feel less alone, or support others when they are grieving? Explore the pages below to learn about grief, listen to stories from others, and make supportive connections.
Have you discovered helpful information on your journey? Please consider sending it to us so we can share it with others.
In an effort to honor the caregiving journey, HeartLight will host a Loving Memorial Gathering and Caregiver Support program on October 30, 2024. The purpose of this first-time event is to process the many grief experiences unique to caregivers, while also paying tribute to the memory of those who have died or are dying.
Hi friends……………………
We are now friends, fyi. We’re in a club that no one wants to be part of. But I’m glad to call you a friend, for what it’s worth. Thanks for being here (even though neither of us want to be). Imagine I’m giving you a hug right now… because I know I need one, and can only imagine that you do too.
Dear Sue, Where and how do I begin to tell you what lives in my heart? I have let the music play right now as it did for the last year as we would sit together reading while you napped. I knew the rest was good for you and could never waken you before your eyes would open and smile at me. After the stem cell transplant, you never regained your weight, you never regained your energy, you never lost your bright smile or spirit to live. You endured so much to let me have all of the days possible with you.
Grief in the Workplace Examining identity, support needs, and community in culturally-relevant ways in the workplace A special presentation for Hospice Professionals,...
My mom and I were best friends; best friends that fought and handled our emotions very differently but still…best friends. I will never forget the day she died. The phone call, the rush home, not making it in time, and the haze of the following weeks, and months. Death is so sudden, one minute she was here on this earthly plane with me and the next she wasn’t. She was gone and I was left to piece together a world without her. A world I still can’t figure out.
Enjoy an uplifting weekend of healing, community, and empowerment in a safe space with other women who have suffered loss and are seeking a path forward.
Researchers describe this process as “Growing Around Grief,” suggesting that grief evolves rather than diminishes over time. This model shows that grief becomes a part of our lives, integrating into our being as we develop new skills and relationships. This model emphasizes that grief doesn’t fade but becomes part of our broader life journey, allowing for joy, creativity, and new memories while honoring our loss.
If I tell you that I’m Asian and I’m grieving, what do you now know that you can apply to supporting me with grief and loss? Sorry, it’s a trick question of sorts! In my view, you would know two things: 1. I am Asian 2. I am grieving. It’s important for me to state what might seem obvious, because of my experiences with assumptions, both personally as a griever and professionally as a certified grief coach.
My wife Mary and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on September 12, 2020. On the morning of November 6, 2020 I went for my daily walk. When I returned from my walk, I found Mary lying dead on the bathroom floor. I was devastated and at a complete loss of what to do. Not only was she my wife but also my business partner. So I lost my wife, partner and also our livelihood…
I recently started diving deeper into the practice of writing poetry by joining a poetry meetup group, then forming my own women’s poetry group. A friend joined a challenge to write a poem a day for a month, based on a word prompt in the theme of hope. Every time she shared one of those prompts with me, my immediate reaction was anything but hope. So I decided to write about it, and this poem, “Lifeline,” was born. I read it to my Heartlight Institute support group, and they strongly resonated with it and suggested I publish it for our fellow grievers. Thank you, HeartLight, for giving me a venue to do just that. Writing about my grief always gives me a sense of relief, and I want to share it with others so they know they’re not the only ones struggling.