#MondaysMoments

June 15 2020

If you google, “how do you calm yourself,” you will find many lists of ideas. For me, I default to a spiritual practice created by Mary Mrozowski entitled Welcoming Prayer. This is something I do w...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, June 15, 2020

June 8 2020

Another important point about our theme “How Do You Calm Yourself?” is the need to take care of yourself so that your body, mind and spirit are best equipped to deal with stressors and anxiety. Whe...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, June 8, 2020

June 1 2020

The theme we chose for this month is “How Do You Calm Yourself?” The first point I want to make is maybe it’s not something you need to do. Stress is what moves us to take action and turns into a p...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, June 1, 2020

May 25 2020

As we conclude this month’s discussion of becoming a butterfly, I leave you with this quote by Maya Angelou said: “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has go...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, May 25, 2020

May 18 2020

Another comparison between becoming a butterfly and going through the grief of losing a loved one has to do with the struggle involved. If you watch a butterfly as it emerges from its chrysalis, it...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, May 18, 2020

May 11 2020

In order for a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it takes time in a cocoon. It spins a cocoon, gives up its life as a caterpillar and begins to transform. The cocoon provides protection while the ...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, May 11, 2020

May 4 2020

Our theme this month is “Becoming the Butterfly.” We sometimes call grief one of the dark emotions. The darkness is obscure. Before a butterfly emerges from a chrysalis, it is in darkness. A lot go...
By Jackie Naginey Hook
Monday, May 4, 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...