When health calls, you answer. My phone rang – again, mind you – in March 2020, shortly after my dad died. The suddenness of his death, coupled with my ongoing grappling with my mom‘s death just 7 1/2 years prior, shook me to the core. In contrast to my attempts to avoid grief altogether when […]
Can you ever cling too tightly …. to friends and family after you’ve experienced loss of a loved one via death? Short answer, no … and yes. Let me start with the ‘no.’ After experiencing the loss of a loved one via death, it’s not uncommon to cling more tightly to those around you. As […]
“Music makes the heart bleed.” 🎼 This is something my dad used to say. And he didn’t mean it in a negative way. Rather, he recognized the inherent beauty of music and its ability to unlock the heart’s channels. Boy does it! Music has a way of unearthing memories tucked deeply in our hearts and […]
Losing a furry friend can lead to intense grief and sorrow. Unfortunately, I know this truth all too well. Summer 2017 struck another emotional blow as I made the decision to euthanize my beloved Beagle, Hunter. He’d been my constant companion for 15.5 years, having relocated twice across the country. As I faced health challenges, […]
I don’t think I realized just how over-exposed I was to death and dying until late fall 2021. Up to that point, I plugged along in my practice and worked to grow my business. I practiced daily rituals to navigate the losses of both of my parents. And I regularly sought wise counsel to increase my […]
I hate asking for help. And the part of my brain that’s clinically trained and emotionally in tune recognizes this as flawed on many levels. However, fierce independence is deeply embedded into the fabric of who I am.Black woman. Raised by two fiercely independent parents in the Air Force. Staunch believer in the “hard work […]
Over nine years into my grief journey following my mom’s death and just shy of two years following my dad’s death, I’ve discovered the value inherent in leading yourself through rituals. What are rituals? Merriam-Webster defines a ritual as follows: “an act or series of acts regularly repeated in a set precise manner.” A grief […]
How do you respond when every item stares back at you? The morning my mom died, my brother and I stood in her living room in shock and disbelief. Just two hours prior, in the wee hours of the morning, my mom peacefully passed away in her bed alongside me and my brother. It was […]
As you support a loved one who’s experienced traumatic grief, you realize that walking the walk isn’t easy … Being there for someone navigating a tough moment is one thing. Consistently showing up for them for a lifelong struggle is completely different. Even as a licensed psychologist, I sometimes struggle to sit in the messy […]
Why doesn’t he get it? This is a question I’ve occasionally asked throughout the past couple of years as I’ve grieved the death of my dad. The ‘he’ I’m referring to is my fiancé, David. Just before the official announcement of the global pandemic in March 2020, my adventurous, Harley Davidson riding dad died suddenly […]
