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Eulogy or Remembrance: The Importance of Educating the Family About the Value of Remembering Backward While teaching a recent workshop for mental health clinicians, a participant raised his hand and asked, “Is the eulogy all that important to a funeral?” His question reminded me that when people question the value of funerals (or a […]
Continue ReadingGrief Poem 124 Dayenu: It Would Have Been Enough by L.R. Lynn If we had been given one more year to watch the sun set on the far mountains, float on our backs in salt ponds shaded by ancient willows that protest the weight of their leaves, and hold each other close as the seasons […]
Continue Reading“Don’t Play Music, We Might Cry” Educating Families About the Value of Music Sadly, I frequently have families experiencing grief state some variation on the following: “Don’t play music, we might cry.” Of course, when they say this I remind myself that I have the opportunity to teach them why music is often an important […]
Continue ReadingEDITOR’S PREFACE It’s been a rough couple of weeks for me. I lost I close friend I’ve known since 1966, my former psychologist (cancer), and my beloved dog Penny who has been by my side for over 14 years. I loved her so much I cannot write these words without crying. She died peacefully through […]
Continue ReadingA common media question I have been asked recently is “What do you think about having funerals before the person is dead?” As you probably know, these are often referred to as “living funerals.” Living funerals have been referred to by the media as an “up and coming” trend that appears to be growing in […]
Continue ReadingGrief is a natural response to death and non-death losses. Everyone experiences the impact, acknowledged or not. I didn’t acknowledge it but felt its presence in my body. Influences on thoughts and feelings are subtle yet strong enough to activate older losses. As a grief therapist, I recognize grief symptoms in others, but not myself. […]
Continue ReadingRediscovering Yourself: Finding Strength and New Purpose in Life After Loss Losing someone dear can leave a profound void, challenging us to find new paths forward. In the wake of such loss, searching for renewed purpose becomes a journey of self-discovery and healing. This journey is not about replacing what was lost but about honoring […]
Continue ReadingA Grief Observed From Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin, the power and pain of Black mourning. BY MYCHAL DENZEL SMITH June 22, 2017 Mamie Till-Mobley wrote her memoir, Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America, in 2003, the same year she died of heart failure, and 47 years after the lynching of her son, […]
Continue ReadingA Bronzeville Mother Loiters In Mississippi. Meanwhile, A Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon – Poem by Gwendolyn Brooks The murder of Emmett Till in 1955, and the subsequent acquittal of his murderers and public viewings of Till’s mutilated body, stirred the American consciousness and provoked outrage across the country. In 1960, Gwendolyn Brooks published her own […]
Continue ReadingWhen Great Souls Die [Editor: this is an excerpt from a poem entitled “When Great Trees Fall” BTW, Maya Angelou as of January 10, 2022 is featured on the U.S. quarter.] When great souls die, the air around us becomes light, rare, sterile. We breathe, briefly. Our eyes, briefly, see with a hurtful clarity. Our […]
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