Category: Grief Journey

A Love Story

Watching the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Eternal Memory” gave me a new perspective on my mom’s Alzheimer’s and my parents’ deaths. Director Maite Alberdi shares the compelling story of Augusto Gongora, a producer and editor, and Paulina Urrutia, an actress, a married couple in Chile, and their story of living with Augusto’s Alzheimer’s. Because the grief…… Continue reading A Love Story

Unrequited Dreams

Empty chairs where we will never sit, Holding hands, reminiscing. Time stolen by an adversary Too strong to be beaten. You left too soonLeaving me behind to find a new path.Some days, the grief is the background staticSwirling around in my mind.Just when I’m feeling steady in my journey,The grief becomes a tsunami,Tearing apart the…… Continue reading Unrequited Dreams

Illness and Grief

“A Shadow of Myself” @beautifulbittersweetlife Last night, I looked at the Phoenix Film Festival website, an organization for which I’ve been a volunteer photographer since 2016. It is one of my favorite yearly events. It allows me to connect with fellow volunteers, meet people who make independent films, see interesting films that aren’t available in…… Continue reading Illness and Grief

When a Friend Dies

I have been through the grief of my husband and parents’ deaths, but this is the first time I’ve had a significant friend die. I was not prepared for the devastating heartache that accompanied this loss. So much of grief literature focuses on the three prominent deaths: child, spouse, and parent, but I’ve not read…… Continue reading When a Friend Dies

My Mom Lives in Me

On January 23rd, it will be two years since my mom died. Time is funny. It seems like yesterday and forever since I saw her and heard her voice. My thoughts keep returning to her this week and how she still fills so much space in my life. I think about how she’s influenced my…… Continue reading My Mom Lives in Me

The Memory Keeper

One of the things that makes Mike’s death hard is the lack of people sharing memories about him. The early days were full of shock and extreme grief. Because of the circumstances of his death and an encounter with a former client who made an inappropriate remark, I was cautious with what I shared. My…… Continue reading The Memory Keeper

Presence of Absence

I went to a webinar on grief and loneliness, and the speaker used the phrase “presence of absence,” part of a quote by Edna St. Vincent Millay. It was an “aha” moment of recognition of how I was feeling, especially with the fresh grief of the death of my 19-year-old cat. This was the first…… Continue reading Presence of Absence

Saying Goodbye

“Bella,’ photo, ink, and watercolor The colors represent the light and joy she brought into my life. Living with grief means living in two worlds. The one where I go about my day taking care of life while inside, an emotional storm is raging. Each death that I experience only compounds the grief that I’m…… Continue reading Saying Goodbye

Intertwined Grief

Watching my 19-year-old cat decline has stirred up so much grief that is intertwined with the deaths of my parents and husband. Although she can eat, drink, use the litterbox, and get up on the couch and bed, she’s slowing down and walking like an old cat. I took her to the vet last week,…… Continue reading Intertwined Grief

Grief Go-To’s

What’s Your Grief  put together an outline of “My Grief Favorites.” It is an excellent exercise for looking at the different resources that I’ve found helpful. Reading about or hearing people share about grief makes me feel normal. Here is a list of the resources that have helped me since 2012. My Grief Favorites: 📚…… Continue reading Grief Go-To’s