You must acknowledge the grief to address it. Give it space or it will settle in and make itself comfortable.

“Things like that,” I said, “aren’t supposed to happen at the Happiest Place on Earth.” Then, exactly one week later – September 29th, 2000 – back home again in Canada, John responded to a suspected break and enter call at a warehouse with his partner, Lil. They waited for the K-9 unit to arrive. When the K-9 officer, Darren, and his dog arrived on scene, John went into the building with them to clear it.

Open to love - a blog series delving into love. I started this series because truly LOVE is all there is. What I mean by this is: Love is the answer. If in any

Divorce: In the midst and wake of major life change, there is the opportunity for a new start, A New Dawn. Have you ever taken a look at your life and marveled at how you got there? A mixture of the experiences and emotions of your lifetime all came together to land you exactly where you are right now. All the changes, all the gains, all the losses and all the choices you’ve made are a part of who you are.

We all have issues to deal with, so we must realize how powerful our thoughts are, and how dramatically they effect how we feel, how much we suffer, and the subsequent choices we make. You may think that you cannot control your thoughts - but that is not necessarily the case. 

Ten years ago, when I came across the great author and teacher, Eckhardt Tolle, I was fascinated with his work. I read several of his books, pondered his words and I st...

It's crazy how certain events stick in your mind so clearly, while others vanish as if they never happened. I remember everything about my dad being sick so clearly. I remember coming home and seeing my parents sitting on the couch, asking me to come in and talk.

I had just gotten home from a friend’s house; I thought I was in trouble for getting home too late. I plopped down on the chair, waiting for them to ask me where I'd been. But I looked at my parent’s eyes and noticed something...

Holidays, special events, and birthdays are always bittersweet times when you lose a parent. Christmas is not the same because you can't have everything you wished for, and birthdays are just another reminder that you’re a year older and a special someone is not there to celebrate with you. Of course, you still have other loved ones around you during these events, but there still remains a hole in your heart that just can't be filled.

Nothing is worse than knowing that the people a...

One of the greatest and most important lessons I have learned during my grief process is to not judge myself. Because I am a person who is normally happy and joyful, I spent so much time beating myself up for the sadness--and sometimes anger--I felt while grieving. It was such an unnatural state for me to be in, and I thought I shouldn't be in it. I couldn't accept what I was feeling; I didn't even want to believe grief was real. Honestly, I believed that grief was something I could choose to experie...

"You should be over it by now." "How long has it been, aren’t you finished grieving yet?" "You shouldn’t be dwelling on it." "Haven’t you been through all the stages of grief by now?" "It’s been a year, you should move on."

As bereaved people, we are all used to hearing platitudes: well-intentioned friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances, etc. all want to offer their sympathies, and this is their idea of support.   But, as we know through experience, grief isn’t prescriptive;  it doe...

1. Don’t keep asking WHY. It's a waste of time and an energy-draining question.

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2. Spend as much time as possible taking care of yourself. Mentally, physically, and spiritually. This can be as simple as taking a bath, listening to soft music, or binge eating cake. Do anything that feeds your soul and brings you comfort, no matter what it is.

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3. Surround yourself with positive reminders. I’m talking about a mug that sits in your cabinet and says, “Sorry, I’m awesome!” Wake up everyday with someth...