Compassion and Peace in a Confusing World
With all the losses we have faced in the past few years, I have been writing a lot about getting involved with your friends, members of your faith community, neighbors, and friends of friends. I have been making the point that companioning people who have suffered losses do not always require professional therapists, but the… Continue reading Offering Companionship
I read an Opinion column a couple weeks ago in the Washington Post. The writer was Jennifer Rubin, and I agree with just about everything she wrote. In fact, for readers of this blog most of this summary may sound familiar. The column is written for those of us who have not necessarily been part of… Continue reading The Empathy Gap
Last month, I posted a few thoughts about Damar Hamlin’s serious football injury. Football injuries happen with every game, but Damar’s was dramatically different. His heart stopped beating twice. Many of the players and coaches grasped the critical nature of the injury, dropped to their knees and began to pray. The good news is Damar appears… Continue reading An Update and a Mini-Lesson
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
In the midst of the Thanksgiving holiday season, our country, our state, and especially our community of Hampton Roads, Virginia were shocked by horrendous mass shootings which, once again, have touched many families and all those who loved the victims. Colorado Springs (11/19),Charlottesville VA (11/13), and Chesapeake, VA (11/22) are suffering through grief and loss.… Continue reading Where Do We Turn?
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
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 