When Death Is Near

Hello from beautiful Montana:

I would like to recommend a wonderful book that I give when someone is grieving. It is called Tear Soup-A Recipe For Healing After Loss.  This thoughtful and insightful message is written by a mother(Pat Schwiebert) and son(Chuck DeKlyen) and illustrated by a very talented artist nephew (Taylor Bills).

This book is $19.99 at your book store or Amazon and the ISBN is 0-9615197-6-2.

Even though it appears to be a  book written for children, it is much deeper than that. It teaches all of us that personal grieving is much like making a big batch of soup. There may be a basic recipe but we each adjust it to our own tastes, needs and process.

We often give flowers, or make a charitable contribution to show our respect for the deceased, but many forget to show tenderness to the bereaved.

This is a book to be cherished and re-read many times.  You will find yourself marveling in the illustrations and text that affirms your respect and acknowledgment of the grieving one.

No, I do not get a commission from the authors, but I should because I recommend it so much.

Until we meet again,

Judy H. Wright aka Auntie Artichoke, family relationship coach and author
http://www.ArtichokePress.com

Hello from beautiful Montana:

Have you ever heard someone say that in retrospect a tragedy was the best thing that ever happened to them?  You just shake your head and wonder what they are talking about. How can the bad be good?

Get Over Your Grief

For someone who has recently lost a loved one, the future is confusing, frightening and very vague.  They are not sure who they are now that they are no longer the caregiver, wife, daughter or whoever they had labeled themselves through the years.

One never gets over the loss, but they get better at defining who they are and what they are capable of. Many people assume that once a year has past, the pain will have lessened and they will be “all better.”

But sometimes it is the shock of losing someone through death, illness or divorce that forces us to look inside and decide to change the direction of our lives.  Who and what we were will never be the same again. Of course, we grieve about what might have been and recognize the future will be not be one containing the lost loved one..

Get  a Different Perspective

One of the most difficult aspects of long term bereavement  is to know that life will never be the same nor will we.  As time goes on, however, we begin to see the future with new eyes and recognize that we are survivors and can build a new life that maintains the memories of the past and builds on new experiences.

Michael J. Fox writes Lucky Man

I recently picked up a bunch of books at the Thrift Shop to read in the car on a trip.  One surprisingly excellent one was Michael J. Fox’s memoir of finding how Parkinson’s Disease had made a difference in his life.

I quote a paragraph:

    “I am no longer the person described in the first few pages of this chapter, and I am forever grateful for that.  I would never want to go back to that life-a sheltered, narrow existence fueled by fear and made livable by insulation, isolation, and self-indulgence.  it was a life lived in a bubble-but bubbles, being the most fragile constructions, are easily destroyed.  All it takes is a little finger.”

You Are Stronger Than You Think

I have confidence in your ability to endure this grief and to come out on the other end a different but better person  You  have much to share with the world and you will be guided how to present that message to others.

I would like to invite you to check out the  Thursday teleclasses and radio shows  listed on http://www.ArtichokePress.com  They are free and you will feel they have been designed just for you.  And they have been.

Love, Judy H. Wright

PS:  Are you on the social network FaceBook or Twitter?  Please add me as a friend.

“Grief is so
painfully real, regardless of its origin. The love of,

and attachment to,
an animal friend can equal that of human relationships.

Likewise, the loss
of an animal can be just as devastating.”
Rev. Joel L. Morgan

Hello friends:

The following post is taken from the new eBook that will be coming out soon on grieving the loss of a pet. We will keep you posted. 

The stories that have come in from people just like you have been incredible.

One of the toughest
communications for some people is to how to offer sympathy.  That is why so many people say nothing at
all.  It is not that they are uncaring,
rather they care so much, they don’t want to add to your pain or make you feel
worse.

I was surprised at how many
of the submissions I received talked about lack of support in the
workplace.  Then I remembered twenty
years ago when my brother JAllen was killed in a horrible industrial accident.

Working at a local weekly
newspaper at the time, my boss was also a friend and the workplace had felt
like extended family.  And yet, two weeks
after the funeral, I was called in and told to “snap out of it.”

Gordon actually looked me
right in the eye and said; “Enough already! 
How long are you going to grieve? 
We have a paper to put out.”

I told him that I would
probably grieve for the rest of my natural life and to check back with me in a
few years when he had lost someone precious to him.

I have often wondered how he handled grief when it came to his journey of life.

My best to you and if you are sad today, please know that you are never alone.  I am sending you warm thoughts and prayers.

Love, Judy H. Wright aka Auntie Artichoke, family relationship coach and author