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As we enter into the holiday season we have choices:

We can choose to focus on how hard it will be without our loved one(s) physically present (essentially deciding that from now until 2020 is going to be: hard, sad, depressing, etc...

We can also choose an alternative focus like focusing on spending the holiday season in the way we know in our hearts our loved one(s) would want us to spend this special time of year.

This year is coming to a close and a new one is around the corner. Some of you have seen several new years arrive as widows; some are still completing your year of "firsts"...first birthday, first anniversary, first holidays without you mate. Wherever you are, this time of year is a good time to spend some quiet moments dreaming. Dream of what's next. Dream of who you want to become now. Dream of places you would like to go and things you would like to do. What does 2020 look like for you?

At holiday time when we're supposed to be feeling joyous, many people are instead feeling lonely, depressed and grief-stricken. Adding to their pain, people who care about them might not understand or recognize their plight or know how to help.

Mary Lee Robinson, a certified grief expert, author, and editor of a lifestyle magazine for widows is encouraging people to start two new traditions this year.

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Grief is one of the hardest emotional processes that a human being can go through. At the same time, amid life circumstances such as loss of loved ones or trauma, almost every person will go through a period of grief at one point in their life.

From as far away as Australia to the British Isles, from Canada to Nigeria, the Widowers Support Network hears the cries of men who mourn the loss of their wife, their soul mates, their partners in life.  Widowed men don’t ask for much, never have, never will.  After all, men who mourn are expected to “get over it,” right?  You know, be a man. Mocho, if you will.  Unfortunately, that’s not the way it was meant to be. 

Grief is a part of life, and you will continue to experience events that cause you to feel loss and grief throughout your life. Unfortunately, you don't always get to experience tragedy at a time in your life when you feel the strongest and most able to deal with it. In early recovery, dealing with loss can cause you to lose your focus.

The majority of teachers will interact every day with students that are grieving. Teachers naturally want to help but feel like they don’t have the right training to step in. The good news is that in-depth training is not required for teachers to be able to make a positive impression on the lives of their students who are grieving. Here, we offer five helpful suggestions to teachers to be able to support their students.