Coming Back: Conversations on life after loss

Kate Manser of You Might Die Tomorrow believes that most people are good and that goodness comes out in the face of mortality. Kate Manser's work (and stickers!): http://www.youmightdietomorrow.com/ Season 6 of Coming Back returns May 1, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win a copy of Now You See the Sky by Catharine H. Murray and Becoming Starlight by Dr. Sharon Prentice by entering y...

Katie Huey, writer behind 52 Beautiful Things, shares what she finds beautiful today. Katie Huey's work: https://52beautifulthings.com/ Season 6 of Coming Back returns May 1, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win a copy of Now You See the Sky by Catharine H. Murray and Becoming Starlight by Dr. Sharon Prentice by entering your email address at  http://www.shelbyforsythia.com/giveaway-c...

That's a wrap for Season 5 of Coming Back! I'm sharing some final thoughts with you from this season's episodes as well as some upcoming events, including another double-book giveaway! Enter the giveaway by supporting Coming Back on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia Winner will be selected at random from the list of all active patrons as of 4/30/2019. Winner will receive a paperback...

Jessica Waite's husband, Sean, called her from an airport shuttle... but never got on the plane. Today we're talking about the struggle to get Sean's body home from another country after his death, conjuring up strong "almost final" memories when final memories just don't do the trick, and how we don't have to be good at grief in order to recover. Also this week, I'm recapping my favorite moments...

Emily Ruth is VERY in tune with her body. Several miscarriages, the premature birth and death of her twin sons, and an ectopic pregnancy were "tipped off" by dreams, feelings, and premonitions. Today, we're talking about the grief of not being believed by doctors and medical professionals, the slow, painful journey of reclaiming a body that feels like it no longer belongs to you, and the divorce o...

The death of her premature daughter and the diagnosis of her husband launched Dr. Sharon Prentice into a rage against god. An incredible, unexplainable Shared Death Experience (SDE) rushed her straight into the arms of the universe and opened her eyes to the true nature of god and where she now believes we go when we die. Today Dr. Sharon Prentice is taking us on the journey of her SDE... and talk...

Vivian Nunez was Too Damn Young—too young to lose her mom at 10 and too young to lose her grandma at 21. Now, at 26, she's the founder and creator of Too Damn Young, a website that helps teens and young adults who have lost someone they love. We're talking about creating a personal vocabulary for grief when textbooks fail, coping with the anxiety of waiting for the other shoe to drop, what dating...

Get ready for grief-appropriate language! Alison L. Miller and her husband, Chuck, had a life and a future together. In just three weeks' time, he was dead and sitting in an urn in the passenger seat of her car. Committed to make good on a promise she made to her dying husband, Alison is on an Odyssey of Love driving across the country in a bright pink car so Chuck can find her out on the road. Th...

Alica Forneret's mom was sick for most of her life. But her dad always reassured her that if things got bad enough, he would tell Alica when she and her sister needed to come home. That day came in October of 2016 when Alica's mom died in the ICU. This week, we're talking about how love sometimes looks like control and planning, the power of having people with similar losses around, how you can us...

Rabbi Anne Brener stumbled across traditional Jewish mourning rituals as she was preparing for her wedding. Her fascination with these ancient prayers and rituals plus knowledge of psychology and a collection of her own personal griefs called her to deeply explore the world of Jewish mourning and write the book Mourning & Mitzvah: A Guided Journal for Walking the Mourner's Path Through Grief to He...

Melissa Lyons is not a grief expert. But her mysterious message-turned-children's-book I Will Always Love You is helping grievers all over the world feel peace, comfort, and even joy after a loved one dies. We're talking about how each of us is served the crappy buffet of grief, what to do when we're charged with a mission from the Universe, and how the emotion of joy gets marginalized in grief. A...

Catharine H. Murray's middle son, Chan, was diagnosed with a rare and complicated form of leukemia at the heartbreaking age of five. After Western medicine did all it could do, Catharine, her husband, and her three boys moved to a remote cabin in Thailand where Chan spent his final months. Today we're talking about her book Now You See the Sky, a beautiful memoir that recounts the devastating real...

Three back-to-back losses left Kate Manser with a severe case of death anxiety. Mortality was lurking around every corner. When the freak death of a friend on Mount Everest marked the fourth death in a short amount of time, Kate had a flash of insight: "I might die tomorrow." This profound statement became the fire under her ass: "If I might die tomorrow, I'm going to build a life I love today." W...

Katie Huey's dad was fine until he wasn't. A sudden heart attack took him from her family in her early twenties and Katie was plunged into a year of spiraling confusion, compounded by both her and her husband's unexpected job losses. We're talking about Katie's faith (how prayer often looks like gratitude lists), what the experience of grief is like as an introvert, and how her blog, 52 Beautiful...

Five years after my mom's death, asking my heart what it knows for sure. Season 5 of Coming Back premieres January 2, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win two copies of The Grief Recovery Method Handbook when you support Coming Back on Patreon. Winner will be selected at random from the list of all active patrons as of 12/31/2018. Winner will receive two copies of The Grief Recovery M...

I'm honoring one of the hardest days of my life by eating a pizza. This week, I'm recalling my memories of that day five years ago and reflecting on an unexpected message I received. Season 5 of Coming Back premieres January 2, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win two copies of The Grief Recovery Method Handbook when you support Coming Back on Patreon. Winner will be selected at rando...

Grief and illness are definitely related. This week, I'm sharing resources for further reading on how our bodies "keep score" of the trauma we have experienced. Season 5 of Coming Back premieres January 2, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win two copies of The Grief Recovery Method Handbook when you support Coming Back on Patreon. Winner will be selected at random from the list of all...

My dad is getting remarried this weekend, so I'm sharing a few wedding stories that remind me of my mom including details I learned about her wedding after her death. Season 5 of Coming Back premieres January 2, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win two copies of The Grief Recovery Method Handbook when you support Coming Back on Patreon. Winner will be selected at random from the list...

Part of life after grief is letting yourself do things you'd think were "silly" or "weird" before. This week, I give myself permission to get nostalgic and revisit my younger self this time of year. Season 5 of Coming Back premieres January 2, 2019! In the meantime... Enter my giveaway to win two copies of The Grief Recovery Method Handbook when you support Coming Back on Patreon. Winner will be s...

It's the end of Season 4 of Coming Back! I'm sharing some final thoughts with you from this season's episodes as well as some upcoming events, including another double-book giveaway! Enter the giveaway by supporting Coming Back on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/shelbyforsythia Winner will be selected at random from the list of all active patrons as of 12/31/2018. Winner will receive two paperbac...

Death didn't exist in Glen Lord's family—at least not in his childhood. After losing his four-year-old son Noah to complications of a tonsillectomy, he found himself angry and lost. Realizing the need for genuine, accurate information on grief, Glen founded The Grief Toolbox and the Walking Through Grief Support Series to connect with others in the midst of loss. Today we're talking about what it'...

Herb Knoll walked away from his life after his wife died of pancreatic cancer. In finding little to no support for widowers in books and grief groups, he forged his own path, spending nine years interviewing widowers and experts. The result of his research is his book, The Widower's Journey. This week, we're talking about anticipatory grief and how a number of caregivers fall ill during the caregi...

A premonition dream of her daughter's death was became reality in 2009 when Lynda Cheldelin Fell lost her third child, Aly, in a car accident. Shortly after, her husband suffered a stroke leaving him with permanent disabilities. This "double whammy" of grief brought Lynda to a place that she describes as "far more than the '5 Stages.'" Today we're talking about how grief turns us into 2.0 versions...

Robin Chodak lost her husband to suicide in 2005 and was instantly plunged into a world of myths and misinformation about suicide. Today, we're talking about the complications of grief due to suicide, the burden of saying "suicide is preventable," and what really helped Robin do a 180 in the aftermath of her husband's death. Also this week, I'm sharing my three biggest fears in the wake of my mom'...

Peggy Langenwalter and Trish Comer had their respective rugs pulled out from under them when their husbands died. "Widow" became their new, unwelcome reality and dealing with the loss of a spouse became their daily focus. On this first group discussion on Coming Back, we're talking about what it's like to take on the role of a deceased partner, how grief doesn't give a damn about convenience, and...