When you lose someone, it is a chance to think about your view on life. Oprah Winfrey has a wonderful quote
“The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be.” 
I have learned that bereavement can help you become that complete person. It is during the hard times that you learn more about yourself and more about what is important to you as a person. I think a loved one dying can help you evolve into that complete person. Losing someone can help you in the following ways

Make you think what is important …read more

Franklin Roosevelt once said
“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.”  
As widows or widowers, we can blame fate….we can be angry at what the world has thrown at us in terms of the grieving process, we can be angry about the death of a loved one. If we stay a prisoner to fate, that stops us from moving on and coping with the loneliness and depression. So how can we break free from being a prisoner of our mind?

Break the chain of thinking that we have been hard done by…death happens, in fact death …read more

Losing someone you love is hard, I wonder what it must be like to be Britney Spears family or friends ? I know Britney is alive and kicking, but in so many ways they are losing the real daughter, the real friend, the real sister…they must feel helpless.
That sense of losing someone you love in front of your eyes. I know from my point of view, I feel a sense of grief – as daft as that sounds – at the loss of a beautiful young woman who brought such joy to so many.
I am hoping that her latest “stay” …read more

As many of you know – and also feel – the wars around the world cause me such pain. It is the loss of life, the futility of losing loved ones. After losing someone close to you, you value life..you don’t want anyone to suffer the pain of bereavement. The stories of the war tend to be sad, depressing and painful..but I came across one that I thought was uplifting and wanted to share it with you, over at B.L Ochman’s weblog
 ”This bowl is part of an exhibit, titled “Offering Reconciliation,” which displays the work of Israeli and Palestinian artists, …read more

I think one of the outcomes of losing someone close to you, is that you think about your own mortality. I have been thinking about my funeral, I know that sounds a little morbid but I also think it is important so that those around me know how I want to say my goodbye. I was interested in this article from Springwise about eco burials
“The pharaohs built pyramids to help protect their mummified remains for millennia. But these days an opposite trend has taken hold: low-impact burials that enable a body to naturally revert back to the soil as quickly …read more

A friend sent me this today and I thought I would share it with you.
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that
person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet
a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide
you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally
or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them …read more

It has been raining today and as I look out of the window I can see a beautiful rainbow. It made me think….
The rain is like our grief. Our tears flow and flow, our outlook feels dark with no sign of relief.
The rainbow is like our journey. It is a bridge to the future. The grief has caused us to change, it has brought out different emotions, different experiences that has caused us to grow as a human being, just like the array of colours in the sky.
The pot of gold is like our hope. We hope that with time …read more

Based on the feedback from previous posts I think we all struggle with self-worth. Our grief has affected the way we look at ourselves, our confidence has drained away. Well, let’s try and help each other!
Let us think of 3 things that we value about ourselves and maybe pass this post on to friends who can add what they value about you. I will ask Krishna De and  Sempre what they value about themselves and how this blog brings value to them?
I find it hard to think about my value but I would say

I love to look after my family …read more

I was babysitting and my friend’s little girl came and sat on my knee. She looked at me and said “When I lost my baby rabbit, I was upset but then I went and got a bandage for my heart. They are great in helping you feel better.”  
Intrigued I said “A bandage? Have you got one for me?”
She looked, moved closer and gave me a huge hug….”There you are a pain bandage, I bet you feel better now”
I smiled, don’t kids just explain things so well!

I wrote yesterday about my isolated feeling over the weekend. I have thought about it overnight and here are my reflections

When you are grieving you shut down your emotions to protect yourself. Maybe what I am feeling is the “numbness” associated with my heart still not being ready to emotionally join the world as yet.
It is OK! My body, my heart has been through shock and an immense amount of pain. I am not ‘weird’, I am completely normal!
It takes time to rejoin the world. When I think how far I have come, I have come a   long way….there …read more