My Grand Baby Grand
“My mother bought it secondhand from a silent movie star It was out of tune but still I learned to play And with each note we both would smile forgetting who we are And all the pain would simply fly away” Well, my mother did not buy our piano second hand. In fact, it was […]
Back to School: A Guardian’s Guide to Helping a Grieving Child
As I discussed in my last blog post, my dad died on the fourth day of fourth grade. I took days four through nine off from school and Monday I was expected to go back. “What? My dad just died. I’m not leaving my mom for 7 hours a day to just go to school. […]
4th Day of Fourth Grade
In August 2000, I went back to school on August 4th. It was a Thursday and my dad had been in the hospital for almost 10 months straight. At this point, he had suffered from two heart attacks and multiple organs had started to fail. My mom and I were guessing his time left on […]
The Keepsakes
Throughout our relationships with people, we hold onto little things. A movie stub from seeing a movie you both loved, pictures, or a special birthday card are just some of the small keepsakes we hold onto. When our loved one dies, we tend to put these items all in one place and tuck it away. Our […]
Halfway Through the Year
On Monday we reached our honorary halfway through the year mark. On July 1 each year I tend to evaluate where I am in that year’s word and make an evaluation of what needs to happen the last six months of the year to reach my goals. It is a tradition at the start of […]
More Birthdays
I celebrated my 28th birthday last Sunday. It was an amazing day and weekend full of family, friends, and food…tons of food. I got to talk to family members that live far away and surround myself with as much love as possible. But, for as amazing as this day was, there were people missing. I […]
New Year Words
It’s that time of year again when everyone is making their resolutions for the new year. “I’m going to work out more.” “I’m going to eat healthy.” “I’m going to see my kids more.” Each year, we make these promises to ourselves and by March we have either forgotten them or given up on them. […]
Home for the Holidays?
Home for the holidays is a phrase we hear over and over again this time of year. There are many songs that we hear that talk about being home for the holidays for pie and family. We feel nostalgic for days of old that seemed simple and fun. But where is home when we lose […]
Thankful November
Throughout the month of November, I participate in #ThankfulNovember on my social media. Each day of the month, I try to make sure to post things I’m thankful for and it spans from people and things like my husband, family, and job all the way to coffee and chocolate. On the last day of November […]
Thankful For Hope
This week in Child Grief Awareness Month, we are focusing on those who have decided to help children along the path of their grief journey. These people include a child’s parents, caregivers, volunteers at bereavement centers, therapists, and any person who has dedicated some time to loving on and supporting grieving children and teens. One […]