Facing Grief - The Podcast

“Struggles, lessons, prayers...and tea.” Being ill is bad enough - being ill and alone brings an entirely new world of pain to the situation. Yet lessons were being delivered. Find out about those lessons in today’s episode. From the essays Volume 8 - “Lessons” - written on April 16, 2020 - day 256 of the journey - this is essay #10 - “Lessons from Being Ill”

“It was a day in grief like any other, how could I know?” In the seemingly endless progression of our grief journeys - we long for release and comfort. Yet when a change does come - the welcome disruption that occurs is glorious in so many ways. In the midst of a welcome change - we look back to see how the previous day had no way of telling us it was the last of its kind. And while we could not h...

“Confirmation that big things are ahead.” Is any day really any different from any other? This week the author reveals all that was in a seemingly routine day - a day that was anything but routine. See what was lurking in day 245 in today’s episode. From the essays Volume 8 - “Lessons” - written on April 14, 2020 - day 246 of the journey - This is essay #8 - “Lessons from Day 245”

“They are there if we look hard enough.” As grief makes you explore more and more of yourself and the past - there can be no stronger message than that left to you than from your Mother. All mothers are not the textbook examples we wished we had. Some were struggling with their own issues and problems while they were raising you. But under that veil can come lessons. Written on April 10, 2020 - da...

“Learning to walk all over again.” After losing a spouse one of the new realities is that you are no longer a “we” - but a “me”. It can be disconcerting to realize that you may not be so sure of yourself as an independent person since you have always been sharing life. Coming to grips with this new reality is the topic of today’s episode. Written on April 9, 2020 - day 241 of the journey. From vol...

“Examples are the best teacher.” Where do the lessons of your life come from? They come from examples both good and not so good. Examples that were out in the open as well as those living in the background. Life is not so neat and tidy - but sometimes some of the most meaningful lessons were those you never saw at the time - those that were right there in front of you. These lessons are the topic...

“Freedom. Joy. Tears.” Grief not only is the darkest place in which you could exist - it is also a prison - an emotional prison. To finally find any level of release from such a place brings with it an emotional release that is beyond description. From the essays Volume 8, “Lessons” - Day 235 of the journey - This is essay #4 - “Lessons of Liberation”

“The month that changed everything.” Superlatives are lacking when attempting to relate the events of March, 2020. In today’s episode we will hear of the 6 profound ways this journey of grief was forever changed. From the essays Volume 8, “Lessons” - Day 232 of the journey - This is essay #3 - “Lessons of March, 2020”

“It makes all the difference” When another day of grief arrives - so does the darkness and sadness that has been a part of every day of the journey. But now there is a new element - that of hope - and not only the hope that is longed for - but a hope that has manifested itself in an extraordinarily way. This changes everything and in today’s episode we will examine the amazing change that is now a...

This begins Volume 8 of the essays entitled - "Lessons" “If you do not sit still, you will miss the lesson.” It is often difficult to catch your breath in your grief journey. Contentions with - whatever is the contention of the day is, can be exhausting. Yet there comes a time - you can never know when - that the landscape changes. And on that day there is an unmistakable change - a change that wi...

Join us next week as we begin the last volume of the Essays - “Lessons”. This week: “A look at where we have been” As Volume 7 ends - the author reflects on where the grief journey has led. The stunning changes chronicled in each essay serve as a testament to this amazing story. In the epilog, the author ends this volume with a fitting reference. Join in this reflection and epilog in today’s episo...

“A missing ingredient now found” In all of what we lose in grief - one of the significant elements of the loss is a lack of caring. Caring seems so unimportant - in fact often it brings more pain than comfort. Amidst all that is lost in grief - caring is just another casualty of the loss. This unexpected connection was being restored and is the topic of today’s episode. From the essays Volume 7 -...

“Stunning. Unexpected. Humbling.” They are few - yet we experience them at some times of our lives. Certainly when we entered the state of grief - but also - when, by the grace of God, we experience the beginning of our emergence from the worst of times we could live. Exploring these times is the topic of today’s episode. From the essays Volume 7 - “Bridges” - written on March 13, 2020 - day 214 o...

“You never know what is coming” In the turmoil of grief there is a constant unsettled feeling in the background. For the author - when that turmoil ceased in its full intensity - that was a moment to be remembered and celebrated. We experience this encounter in today’s episode. From the essays Volume 7 - “Bridges” - written on March 11, 2020 - day 212 of the journey - this is essay #15 - “Reunion”

“Out of the rubble, the path to the future emerges” With the worst of the power of grief now past - a new perspective emerges. With the heaviness and darkness now lessened - an entirely new view is possible. This a moment that brings with it deep reflection. A new reality begins to emerge in today’s episode. From the essays Volume 7 - “Bridges” - written on March 10, 2020 - day 211 of the journey...

“Sorting out the precious” What is your life in the state of grief? A jumble of the past we long for, the future we reject and the present that does nothing but remind us of our loss. When a change does come - be it ever so slight or insignificant - a change that gives some measure of hope - it is time to take stock of just what parts of our life needs to be taken with us. That evaluation Is the t...

“The dawn of a new era” In grief we exist in the present - as distasteful as that reality is. The past a narcotic to relive what has been lost - the future an unwanted bother. Then a day came when the hostility and disdain for the future ended. It was a time that was inevitable yet unwanted. But with the light now shining into the world of grief the change that has come is undeniable. That light b...

“One incredible experience” Any change in the distressing state of grief is cause for celebration. When that change came in the most unexpected way - the results were stunning. This episode reflects on those amazing events. From Volume 7 - “Bridges” - written on March 8, 2020 - day 209 of the journey - this is Essay #11 - “One Week”

“The only way out is to let someone in” We are alone in grief. Our situations unique - situations that often put others off, make them reluctant to approach us. How can we ever escape such a plight? The answer we seek may not come from where we are - we may need someone else to enter our world. Someone to take a step where few even consider or try. We examine this reality in today’s episode. From...

“You never know when it is coming” Faith is the assurance of things hoped for - things not seen. Yet faith in grief is even more difficult to experience…until that day when faith is realized. That stunning moment is the topic of today’s episode. From Volume 7 - “Bridges” - written on March 2, 2020 - day 203 of the journey - this is Essay #9 - “The Answer”

“The Constant Struggle” As we live our days in grief - eventually we are faced with another reality we do not want to face. Although so much of what has been lost is so close to us - we do begin to lose our recollections of the day-to-day life we had. There are no answers at this point - only surviving the contentions that appear as we live each day. We discuss that contention in today’s episode....

“It’s a part of you.until it isn’t” Music is a part of our lives in so many ways. In this grief journey, the author experienced an unusual period of time in which the music in his life stopped. In today’s episode - originally released as Facing Grief the Podcast episode 16 on November 25, 2020 - we will hear of this paradoxical time when the music just was not in him anymore - despite it being all...

“Life with a hole in it”. Longing for what has been lost is a constant in grief. Contending with the idea that you will somehow have to live with such a deep loss is a struggle we cannot face by ourselves. We look at the struggle in today’s episode. From the essays Volume 7 - “Bridges” - written on day 197 of the journey - This is essay #6 - “Missing”

“Sometimes there is no way out - without help”. The days in grief present a seemingly endless stream of emptiness. As much as we might try to remove ourselves from this trap in some way - often we just cannot achieve that goal. It is a part of this reality - a reality that we know will change at some point - not just today. The struggle is the topic of today’s episode - written on February 24, 202...

“Powerful. Enduring. Painful.” Some are connected to things - some are not. For those of us that are, in grief this presents a new challenge. How do we survive without those connections we have lost? There are - as in grief - no easy answers - only living through each day as we struggle to exist. We will examine this in today’s episode. From essays volume 7, “Bridges”. Written on February 21, 2020...