#MondaysMoments
December 2 2019
This month our theme is “It’s a Wonderful Life!” One of my all-time favorite movies is It’s a Wonderful Life! When I was a child, it was shown multiple times each holiday season and every time Zuzu...
Monday, December 2, 2019
November 25 2019
Not only is it important to learn to listen to grievers and others, it is important to learn to listen to ourselves. I appreciate these words from Philip Cousineau:
“Ask yourself what is absurd in...
Monday, November 25, 2019
November 18 2019
After I sit and listen to stories of deceased loved ones’ lives, many family members tell me how cathartic the time was. The same sentiment is often shared after personalized and meaningful ceremon...
Monday, November 18, 2019
November 11 2019
Learning to Listen takes practice. In casual conversation, we listen while also thinking about what we’ll say next. Deep listening means our focus is solely on the speaker. We allow them to say wha...
Monday, November 11, 2019
November 4 2019
This month our theme is “Learn to Listen.” We listen to others all day. But do we really listen or do we just hear? In my work as a spiritual director, celebrant and end-of-life doula, listening is...
Monday, November 4, 2019
October 28 2019
This week we’ll look at the social realm of self-care. Alan Wolfelt’s work encourages finding a grief buddy, recognizing that friends will probably change, and remembering that others also had a sp...
Monday, October 28, 2019
October 21 2019
When we think about the cognitive realm of self-care on the grief journey, that too is as unique as we are. Alan Wolfelt recommends answering these two questions: What do I want? What is wanted of ...
Monday, October 21, 2019
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...