Better tools for dealing with loss: Hammer, saw, and tissues?

Most trades people have tool kits to accomplish their tasks. 

Hammers, saws, screwdrivers, and the like for construction; wrenches, pliers, and vise grips for plumbing; duct tape for everything else. Not wanting to be different, we in Grief Recovery also have a tool kit for our trade; tools for dealing with loss and grief. We usually carry them wherever we go. We are also fortunate that most homes and businesses usually have one element of our tool kits on their premises, just in case we forget ours or run out.

Saying goodbye to a relationship: Stop saying there are plenty of fish in the sea!

Do you recall a time in the bloom of your first love when your feet barely scraped the ground and everything felt right in your world? If you remember those feelings, but the relationship that inspired them didn't make it all the way to the imagined sunset, then you've also felt the painful sting that accompanies romantic endings.

Uh-oh, it's that time again. Grief and the holidays

The holidays are approaching. A joyous time. A festive time. A time when families and friends celebrate the passage of another year and the coming of a new year. But not everyone will feel like celebrating. If this is the first year since the death of a loved one or a divorce, the grief and the holidays may be difficult. Since time does not heal emotional wounds, subsequent holiday times may be painful and awkward. Even surrounded by family and friends, grievers may feel isolated, alone, and as if no one understands.

Bereavement Scriptures (Part 1)

Sometimes we open this column with a suggestion that you grab a coffee because we've written a longer-than-usual piece. Today, you might get a piece of pound cake to go with your java. Why pound cake? Because pound cake is a simple thing and digests easily. We're about to broach a topic that will fly in the face of conventional awareness and could benefit from a digestive aid.