Four years ago I went through a completely unexpected shock induced by the separation from my husband after 20 years of marriage. For me, the circumstances of how it happened played as a virtual spousal death, including all the intermingled … Continue reading →
Seeing as tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d pick a poem that has to do with romantic love for this week. It’s also a poem you’re likely familiar with, or at least its famous opening line: “How do I … Continue reading →
Rebecca Sexton Larson is a Tampa, Florida-based studio artist working with alternative photographic processes. Below, she shares some images from her “Visual Diary Series”, as well as an explanation of the alternative processes used to create them. From the artist: … Continue reading →
Throughout history, memorial gardens have been one of the most popular ways to honor the memory of the deceased. Whether for Royalty, the fallen soldier, or a loving mother, a memorial garden provides an ideal area for solace and reflection for its visitors. When constructing such a garden an important decision will be what will be the centerpiece of this living tribute? While a fountain, statute, or wind chime may be fine options, a memorial garden bench, with its dignity and durable nature, remains the ideal focal point for almost any outdoor setting.
Have you ever felt yourself resisting or suppressing your tears? Sadness, grief and tears are a natural part of life. Understandably you may want to avoid the more painful emotions, but if you do, you also limit your ability to laugh, love, connect, prosper and celebrate. Allowing yourself to deeply experience and express your tears can be a profound gift; open your heart and align you with your soul.
This past Saturday, a friend and I went to check out Jack Kerouac Alley and City Lights Bookstore in the North Beach area of San Francisco. As a lover of literature, I was delighted by all the quotes by famous … Continue reading →
Accepting "what is", is one of the biggest hurdles in moving through grief. It is a transition from love being here and love lost, and that doesn't often happen overnight. The mind and heart still looks for what is lost; some research has called this "yearning" which speaks to the intense wish to reconnect with that love.
One day is often like another, until we learn that someone we know or the relative of someone we know has died. Suddenly our day takes on a new dimension and the routine we were following is interrupted. This is often the way the death of someone outside of our family greets us: it stops us in our tracks and we redirect our energies for a while to support that family. And yet in wanting to help and to send words of sympathy and condolence, we don't know what to say.
