Words for the Journey

My father passed away a couple years ago.  My uncle one month before him.  Another uncle a month after.  I went to three funerals in the span of three months all at the same funeral home.  I'm fairly certain the funeral home was getting suspicious of the ladies in our family.  Had any of the men who passed away been rich, there would have been some arrests.  If it

I have listened to, composed and performed music my entire adult life. In past 18 months, however, music has become even more important to me.

You don’t have to be a psychologist or a bereavement care specialist to appreciate the impact that a mother’s death has on the family system and on a child’s developmental trajectory.

 

 A Balancing Act

When we lose loved ones, we often just think of how affects us, as individuals. We also never think it affects a child, for many different reasons. We may think the child is too young and doesn’t understand, or because they show no emotion at the time, that it hasn’t affected them.

Today is my forty eighth birthday. It is also the eighth birthday that I have had without Mack in my life. I have reached a stage where I can listen to people wish me a happy birthday, actually hear what they’re saying and mean it when I thank them. But the day does come with sadness and I know it always will. Mack died in July 2006 and only one month later, David had his birthday.

What is the “right” way to grieve? Is there a right way to grieve?

Never should your heart feel lonelythough I may seem far away.From a place up in the heavens

As an actor, screenwriter and all around movie fan I was drawn to the film GRAVITY by the promise of seeing another wonderful performance by one of my favorite actresses Sandra Bullock, and what appeared to be, at least from the coming attractions, another visually stunning film by director Alfonso Cuarón. Both of those promises did not fail to be fulfilled.

Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. Dalai LamaThinking about my son's October 1st death anniversary, it struck me that it was the unlucky 13th anniversary. Now in another situation one might say - it's lucky 13 but, how can anyone ever imagine anything being lucky about a child's death?   

It's nothing new that grief is an intense emotional experience. But we're gaining a better understanding of what consumers, specifically Baby Boomers, are looking for in that experience. They want it balanced.