#MondaysMoments

December 28 2020

To close out our discussion of searching for meaning, I’ll share a quote from author, lecturer and Benedictine monk, David Steindl-Rast: Meaning is not something that can be looked up in a book, l...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, December 28, 2020

December 21 2020

Today is the winter solstice and the longest night of the year. In conjunction with this month’s theme, what meaning can we search for in this darkness? Imagine we are outside tonight, what do we d...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, December 21, 2020

December 14 2020

Several theories about grieving include the mourner’s need to search for meaning. Many of us know about Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ five stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and accep...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, December 14, 2020

December 7 2020

This month our theme is “Searching for Meaning.” I don’t know why, but I naturally search for meaning in most everything. When our previous home’s address was our daughter’s birth date, or when my ...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, December 7, 2020

November 30 2020

To close this month’s posts about “After Death,” I’ll share this excerpt from John O’Donohue’s book, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace. Do these words ring true for you? The dead are not distant or ab...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, November 30, 2020

November 23 2020

We all have beliefs about what happens after death. Many people I’ve companioned after losing a loved one shared stories with me of feeling a connection to their deceased beloveds. When I ask them ...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, November 23, 2020

November 16 2020

This week we’ll begin the virtual HEART Grief and Loss Support Program on Thursday, November 19 at 6:30 p.m. Individuals and couples who have experienced pregnancy and early infant loss are invited...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, November 16, 2020

Previous Posts

December 11 2023

I wasn’t always comfortable with the concept of, “Dare! Silence.” I grew up in a house with five kids and two parents, so silence was not something that happened often. When I began to practice a s...

December 4 2023

This month’s theme is “Dare! Silence.” Silence is very important throughout our lives, especially on our grief journeys. Silence can be intimidating, and we often try to fill it when we encounter i...

November 27 2023

To close this month, please read Anne Hillman’s poem, “We Look With Uncertainty” as you notice “something new is being born in” you while making new treasured memories. We look with uncertainty be...

November 20 2023

My favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. In terms of the meanings behind other holidays, I’m all in. But I can do without their hype and commercialization. So as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, ...

November 13 2023

As I was writing this month’s posts about our theme of “Memories Become Treasures,” the song “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac started to play. When our youngest child went off to college, this song mad...

November 6 2023

This month’s theme is “Memories Become Treasures.” In a recent grief education and support group I was leading we talked about looking at old photographs of deceased loved ones and how those pictur...

October 30 2023

To close out this month, read these words of poet John O'Donohue: The dead are not distant or absent. They are alongside us. When we lose someone to death, we lose their physical image and presenc...