I was speaking to someone today who had been disappointed by how people fall away after the initial mourning. She said a wonderful phrase that I thought I would share with you…
 ”People offer help, friends deliver it”
Friendship is a wonderful gift and the love of my friends will remain one of the key memories of a difficult time.

“As woman cry and men attempt not to, letting them know that their mourning is a step toward the goal of healing will help a man feel more in control.”
Adelle Tilton
If you have experienced a loss, the odds are high that you know a man who is experiencing the same loss, perhaps your brother-in-law or your husband’s father. As you cry and mourn the death of your husband, you probably have seen the struggle that a man goes through when he is confronted by death. How can you help a man deal with grief and find the healing he needs?
The …read more

Right after I was widowed, I bought every book on grief I could find.  I had this idea – if I bought all of the books and learned everything I could learn about grief, it wouldn’t hurt so much.  Bad idea – it cost me a lot of money and it still hurt. 
Oh, how desperately we seek to maintain control.
I still buy books on grief but now I have a rule – I don’t buy them very often, maybe two or three a year, and I don’t look for them to be anything more than a map to …read more

 
Hotlines AARP Grief and Loss Toll-Free Support Line 
AARP offers grief support by trained volunteers who themselves have experienced the death of a loved one. Family members, friends and co-workers who have lost a loved one are encouraged to call this line for support with their grief.
Call 1-866-797-2277 toll free
9am – 9pm EST, Daily
The service is confidential, available to people of any age, and is available in 140 languages and dialects. National Relay Service for the hearing impaired and the speech disabled is available.
Suicide HotLine
When you feel you can’t go on, that the grief is too much, pick up the phone …read more