Dealing With My Grief

A few weeks ago I spoke to a widow who's support system disappeared after she lost her husband. Today, I welcome a guest who's support system vanished in the course of 15 months... yes, months because they all passed away! Sandy Rocourt is a creative writer, speaker, and strategic transformational educator, who helps clients turn the tragedy of loss & heartbreak into the strength needed to rebuild...

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. Mother Teresa 3 years ago I embarked on a journey inspired by two people: One who inspired me to tell my story - this person still has no idea of this and Dave Jackson,from the School of Podcasting who introduced me to the medium through which to tell it. At the time I just wanted to get some things off of my chest. Things that I had been car...

As I mentioned, I am going to use this platform more to give others an opportunity to speak out about their experiences moving through the grief process. This week I have a discussion around being abandoned by those you thought would be your biggest supporters. Michelle Marek was born and raised in Maryland and grew up poor Her parents always pushed her to have a better life than them. She fought...

As the calendar has turned to 2019 I have a few things that I have found true about grief that I need to remember from time to time. 1. Grief is a marathon and not a sprint... that never ends. It has no finish line. We will carry our loss forever. 2. You will fall off the wagon. At some point you will see something or do something that will remind you of a loved one. Like hearing a favorite song t...

I waited until just a few minutes ago - just now - to record this episode... I've been struggling with how I would feel about Christmas without being able to speak to my mother. This is something I have spoken about in the last few weeks. I wanted to get the ray, fresh emotions of the day. To be honest, I cried a little when I woke up on Christmas but then I decided I need to so things down a litt...

I will not focus on the "firsts" as this is the first Christmas without my mother. There are a lot of people who make a big deal of telling me this. Instead I will focus on the way that she lived. I will pay special attention on making sure to carry on the traditions that we have during the Christmas holiday: exchanging gifts with family, calling those that are not close, and simply enjoying the d...

Last week for the first time I had a dream about someone who was deceased... it was a dream about my mother. It was a dream about a family tradition that we had of opening Christmas presents after Midnight Mass. Now the strange thing is that I didn't let the dream play out because I got so freaked out that I was having this dream that I woke before it ended. Even stranger is the fact that during t...

Life is painful... as a baby we probably feel our first pain when we are teething. Our gums swell and maybe turn red as our teeth begin to push their way through. Parents try all types of remedies to ease this pain... teething rings or home made remedies like brandy or whiskey During adolescence, we experience "growing pains" whether the psychological process of wanting to do/be more than we are a...

Dealing with my mother's personal things after her death is something I began the process of doing during the 2018 Thanksgiving holiday and it was easier than I thought it would be... until it wasn't. sometimes I had to stop and step away for a few minutes until emotionally I could continue going through things. It was the drive back to DC that I started to process other things. It wasn't until th...

As I prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, I reflect on the things for which I'm grateful. I'm am grateful for the love and support shown me and for those who have lifted me up in this time of need. I'm also grateful for the people that surround me with love and lift me up during difficult times. I speak a lot about time... I'm grateful for the time I've received with my loved ones who have preced...

Mental health is a topic that is not discussed often enough. On today's show, I'd like to welcome Nancy Eigel-Miller to discuss the work she is doing to educate others in concerning this topic. Nancy founded the James W. Miller Memorial Fund in 2010 after losing her husband Jim to suicide in 2008. She spent her career in the marketing/market research arena but the call to educate about mental heal...

As the holiday's approach I have been asked about how I will be affected by the loss of my mom. I'll be OK... I'm doing much better than I thought I'd be at this time. Maybe because I've learned how to process my feelings. Maybe because in some small way missing the holidays during other times in my life have prepared me for life without her. Question: How long do you wait before you go through yo...

As the death certificate from my mother arrived this week, I've re-evaluated a lot of feelings I've had since her passing. The irony is I'm dealing with handling her affairs as an only child and while I've never had siblings, I wonder what this process would be like if I could share the load with someone else. In believing that no one would reach out to support me, or should I say my mother in thi...

Once again I have been plagued by the concept of time. When I was 10 I began marking time since my father passed and in reflecting back on his death and having begun the process of processing my mother's loss, I realize that I won't do the same with her loss. When dad died I didn't know what I didn't know about loss: I would have a child that would never know him, or that I would have certain expe...

Thank you to everyone who has given support to myself and my family in this difficult time following the death of my mother. I appreciate the the love I've received from my immediate and extended family, my friends - many of whom I haven't seen in years, and those of you who know me exclusively through this podcast. I am amazed at the number of emails, text messages, social media posts, etc. that...

On October 2, 2018 I lost my rock. After 40 years, my mother was finally reunited with my father. I can only imagine the conversation the two of them are having and the amount of catching up that they have to do. I am saddened that my mother is not here any longer tyo be with me, but she left with nothing left to give. All of her love and every lesson - I got it all. Thanks for all the love and su...

As I write this, my mother is lying in a hospital bed resting comfortably.  I am facing the fact that one day she won't be here... the first time in my life I have really thought about it. And now, I can't stop thinking about it... That one thought is now affecting every aspect of my life - work, family, friends, relationships... EVERYTHING!! I talk myself out of hitting rock bottom. I have always...

I often have to remind myself that when implementing new strategies in my grief recovery process, I am actually making an investment that I must give time to work and produce results. I must be patient and give these processes time to work. I must also realize that I may not always get the desired result. That's OK because I can always devise new strategies to help me get though the rough times wh...

I received an email that stated that this podcast felt it gave them permission to go to the space that they needed to grieve. Permission is something that you need to go on field trips in school. When it comes to things that nourish your body... food, water, or in this case confronting you emotions, there is no need to seek permission. You do what you need to in the moment or as soon as possible t...

I've seen a number of posts in social media that deal with the lack of support that people feel they should be getting from their loved ones, friends and colleagues. I personally am a people watcher. I'm in a way fascinated by what people do and how they act in certain situations. After the death's of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain every one I know had some type of suicide prevention hotline numb...

  I've got a lot of things going on in my life and have barely had time to breathe. I'm trying to help my mother take car of some things and I've got work and life related things of my own that I'm dealing with. I don't know how I'll manage everything... sometimes it seems overwhelming. It is in those moments that I have to tell myself that everything is going to be okay. I may not know when or ho...

Often my thoughts get jumbled in my head. I can't seem to keep things straight sometimes, because my mind is a cluttered mess. A few months a go, I decided to to start writing - journaling if you will - about things I've been thinking about. Mostly grief related topics that I'd like to discuss on the podcast. The idea was to get things down on paper, someplace where all my thoughts would be in one...

I needed to visit the St. Louis at the last minute last week and I had the opportunity to visit my dad's grave... but I didn't go alone. I decided to take my mother with me, because I knew that she hadn't been in a while and I was unsure of what would happen. As it turned out, we ended up having a family meeting. My mother talked abaout how I was taking over some of the things that she had been do...

I have been asked on several occasions if there is ever truly be happy after loss. The answer to that question is a simple - YES! Getting there however, may not be as simple as it sounds. Subscribe to this podcast by using one of the following: Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe on Android Click here to subscribe via RSS Click here to subscribe on Spotify Contact me...

A few weeks ago I asked for listener feedback on how you felt when people say you look like your deceased loved ones - and here is what you said! Subscribe to this podcast by using one of the following: Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe on Android Click here to subscribe via RSS Contact me using any of following: email - darwyn@dealingwithmygrief.com twitter - http...