Compassion and Peace in a Confusing World
Almost a month has passed since a Newport News, Virginia elementary school teacher was shot in her class by a six-year-old student. The teacher, Abigail Zwerner, is recovering following surgery and hospitalization. A few days after the shooting, I spoke with a friend who lives in the New York metropolitan area who wanted to know… Continue reading A School Shooting
Over the past two weeks or so, my emotions have scattered from one topic to another and I did not know where to start. What follows is my attempt. On January 2, a football player for the Buffalo Bills experienced a near-death event in front of hundreds of thousands of people at the stadium in… Continue reading What’s Next?
Our household seems more excited about Christmas this year, which I attribute to our local grandchildren being six years old. They would tell you they are really seven because the twins were born in early January, and they are so excited about Christmas. Attending church and Sunday School has enhanced their awareness of the Christian… Continue reading A Simple Christmas Post
Last week I was finishing the next post for At Peace, and then, I learned a close friend died. This news stopped me in my tracks and I decided to write about his loss. I spoke with my friend at church every week. I will call him, Jim... because that is his name. Jim was a very interesting… Continue reading And Then…
I don’t normally read “advice” columns in newspapers. I have found much of their “advice” to be answering complicated questions with partial and simplistic responses. However, I happened upon a question and response from the Ask Amy (by Amy Dickinson) column last week to be most helpful. The question came from a woman who was one year… Continue reading Men’s Grief
I have been thinking about the word “trust” over the past few weeks. What or who do you trust? Why? When do you really seek the trust of someone? A number of these blog posts have mentioned the importance of trusting someone to help you process the grief which comes with the traumatic loss such… Continue reading Trust
We are reading and hearing that the Covid pandemic is a thing of the past. Maybe, but 500 people died from the virus per day on average last week. Another booster shot for the prevalent variant is being distributed to the public in the coming weeks. Stay safe, friends. But even when this virus becomes… Continue reading The Hidden Impact of Grief and Loss
Next Tuesday, August 30 is National Grief Awareness Day. I was reminded by my professional organization, the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), that on that day we might (1): support a grieving friend and/or (2) engage in self-care on this day of appreciation and respect. I had forgotten there is a day devoted to these… Continue reading Did You Know?
I like baseball a great deal. I am not as much of a fanatic now at age 68 than I was many decades ago when I watched, listened and played the game, but I still am a big follower. The death earlier this month of Vin Scully, the legendary broadcaster of the Los Angeles Dodgers,… Continue reading Lessons from Vin
My last post dealt with the importance of active listening when helping people dealing with loss. The intent of caregiving is not to “fix” the person , because that cannot be done. This blog shares several primary listening methods I have found helpful for people experiencing grief. Talk Less, Listen More: establishing trust is vital… Continue reading Listening – With Love
At Peace 