grief anniversaries are emotionally hard be gentle with ourselves

Tools for finding hope along the journey: Acknowledging anniversaries

For many of us we don’t need to see a calendar, we feel it in our bodies as we are once again approaching the anniversary of their death.  Each passing year has brought great insight and joy but also a great sense of confusion as to how I have done it all these years. I love and honor them every day and with every breath, but this week I will spend some time with the pain of missing them. No matter how long it has been anniversaries are emotionally hard and we need to be gentle with ourselves.

Artwork by Tanya Lord
About the Artist

Tanya Lord was a special education teacher when Noah died. After his death she read The Institute of Medicine’s report To Err Is Human and realized that the errors responsible for her son’s death were not unique. This created a desire and determination to better understand and work towards improving health care. Currently she has completed a master’s degree in public health and a PhD in clinical and population health research and is completing a post-doctoral fellowship. Lord shares her personal and professional experiences in presentations and workshops for medical staff and students focusing on the importance of effective communication with patients before and after an error. She also is a co-founder of The Grief Toolbox (www.thegrieftoolbox.com), which offers tools to help those along the grief journey. Lord may be contacted at [email protected]