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Please Don’t Tell me To Move On by Anne Peterson I have a Master’s Degree in grief. Not a real one, but believe me, I should have an honorary one. And one thing I know for sure. Grieving stinks. All of a sudden you’re invited to a party you never wanted to attend. But …
Please Don’t Tell Me to Move On: AfterTalk Weekly Read More »
Continue ReadingCondolence letters are one small sliver of what AI can do. Everyone is talking about AI–Artificial Intelligence. The world changed when OpenAI announced the launch of AI ChatGPT. See this link: https://openai.com/ Since ChatGPT, both Google and Microsoft have launched their own variants. Google is called Bard, accessible at this link: https://bard.google.com/ The Microsoft version …
Condolence Letters and AI [Artificial Intelligence] Read More »
Continue ReadingEDITORS NOTE: DURING THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEK, WE ARE RE-POSTING THIS IN HONOR OF ALL THOSE WHO DIED IN THE SERVICE OF THIS NATION. One of the saddest family stories of WWII was the death of the five Sullivan brothers from the USS Juneau in 1942. Below is a their story in brief, and President …
Condolence letters of Presidents: FDR and The Sullivans Read More »
Continue ReadingCompanioning the bereaved is about being still; it is not about frantic movement forward. “Things come suitable to their time.” Enid Bagnold Many of the messages that people in grief are given are in opposition to stillness… “carry on;” “keep your chin up;” “keep busy;” “I have someone for you to meet.” Yet, the paradox …
Companioning Tenet Eight: Being Still Read More »
Continue ReadingCompanioning the bereaved means discovering the gifts of sacred silence; it does not mean filling up every moment with words. “Do not speak unless you can improve upon silence.” Buddhist teaching In discovering the gifts of sacred silence, you cultivate what becomes an avenue for the mourner to open his heart up to wisdom surrounding …
Companioning Tenet Seven: the gifts of sacred silence Read More »
Continue ReadingIntroduction: After my husband died, I realized I had no idea what he wanted for his funeral. We had a lovely ceremony, but I couldn’t help but wonder if it was what he would have wanted. So, a year or so after his death, I sat down to plan my own funeral. Now, it’s all …
Planning Your Own Funeral Can Enhance Your Life Read More »
Continue ReadingCompanioning is about walking alongside; it is not about leading or being led. “The most familiar models of who we are—doctor and patient, ‘helper’ and ‘helped’—often turn out to be major obstacles to the expression of our caring instincts; they limit the full measure of what we have to offer one another… True compassion arises …
Companioning Tenet Six: Walking Alongside Read More »
Continue ReadingCompanioning is about bearing witness to the struggle of others; it is not about judging or directing these struggles. by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act caring, all of which have the potential to turn …
Companioning Tenet Five: Bearing Witness Read More »
Continue ReadingOn mourning the same sibling twice: The story of my Sue and me By Louise McOrmond- Plummer Dedicated to my beloved sister Suzanne Gardner 08/01/1960 ~ 11/09\2022 In 2008, my mother told me that I had a sister who was born in 1960, and relinquished for adoption, and who had sought out her birth family. I knew …
On mourning the same sibling twice…AfterTalk Weekly Read More »
Continue ReadingLearning to Have Fun Again After a Loss It’s hard to imagine life ever being “normal” again after a loss of someone you love. You might feel stuck, or as though you can’t move forward or go on without them. While it’s essential to work through the stages of grief on your own timeline, one …
Learning to Have Fun Again After a Loss Read More »
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