SOLACE: Soul + Grief

Send us Fan Mail The calendar turns, but grief doesn’t follow dates. We open this new year by laying out seven honest, compassionate resolutions for anyone carrying loss—practices that respect your pace, honor your person, and rebuild daily life without pretending the hurt is gone. From the first minutes, we name a core truth: this is your grief and only you can know what helps. Together we explor...

Send us Fan Mail Today, my daughter-in-law, Rachel takes us through the intimate, complicated journey of losing her father to COVID and finding unexpected grace in hospice care. Along the way, Rachel names the ache of anticipatory grief, the way traditions become flashpoints, and how a single sentence from a nurse can rearrange your world. What sets this story apart is the quiet courage in the det...

Send us Fan Mail A nation’s grief can teach a child what silence looks like. With the Kennedy assassination as a first brush with public loss, we unpack how early experiences shape the way we mourn, speak, or go quiet when death enters the room. From the shock of seeing tragedy unfold on television to the private unsteadiness of waking beside a loved one who slipped away in the night, we explore h...

Send us Fan Mail Heartbreak doesn’t wait for perfect timing, and neither does grace. We open a gentle, practical pathway through grief by walking with the ten core elements of Ignatian spirituality—wisdom forged in the recovery of a wounded soldier who learned to listen for God in everyday life. This is a clear, story-driven guide to finding presence, freedom, and courage when the season feels hea...

Send us Fan Mail A mother’s cry, a father’s silence, and a play that turned private loss into words the world still leans on—we trace the tender line from Hamnet to Hamlet and what it reveals about how we grieve. We open with the film’s intimate portrait of marriage under strain, childbirth risk, and a family reshaped by the death of a son. From a boy’s heartbreaking plea to save his sister to a m...

Send us Fan Mail What miracle are we waiting for when the holidays feel heavier than ever? We open the door to that question and follow it through Advent’s candles and into the honest landscape of grief—where tears, memory, and hope share the same table. Guided by Isaiah 55, we explore how God meets thirsty hearts with real nourishment, how love takes on flesh in fragile places, and how the Advent...

Send us Fan Mail Holiday glitter can sting when the heart is tender, so we slow down and name what’s real: Advent and grief both teach us how to wait. Remember the courage it takes to admit our limits, the grace of beginning with Jesus, and the honest paradox of holding sorrow and joy in the same hands.  And a hopeful way forward for anyone who feels out of sync with the season. We explore the ten...

Send us Fan Mail A simple question can close a door—or open a life. After Lynn’s husband, Jim, died without warning, I thought giving space was kindness. I watched her carry herself with strength, and I told myself she’d ask if she needed me. What I missed were the quieter signs: a new sadness behind her eyes. If you’re walking with someone widowed or grieving—whether it’s been weeks or years—this...

Send us Fan Mail Grief doesn’t follow rules, and it rarely shows up quietly. We open a  conversation about the last moments of life—what we witness in hospice rooms, what we fear in sudden or violent deaths, and the heavy shadow of suicide—and we offer an audacious hope: that God meets every soul at the threshold. Not as an abstract idea, but as a presence that brings a softening, a peace that set...

Send us Fan Mail We trace how fall’s shifts mirror grief, moving from the first sting of emptiness to practical safety steps, group support, and spiritual care. Poems by Paula Porter and a closing meditation widen hope, and we share ways to plan for the holidays with honesty and rest. • honoring the rawness of early grief and the image of autumn’s balance • fear named as part of grief and steps to...

Send us Fan Mail We trace Rachel’s caregiving through COVID barriers, hospital chaos, and a rare moment of blessing from her father, who tried to dance in a neck brace on the day he came home. Fear, advocacy, and dignity shape a story that turns separation into a deeper kind of love. • Rachel’s layered losses and why she chose to share • COVID-era separation and window visits with her father • the...

Send us Fan Mail We explore grief’s gray spaces, where love does not disappear but changes form, and we practice seeing God’s presence in simple, daily ways. Thich Nhat Hanh’s cloud-to-rain teaching helps us notice our beloved in new forms while faith widens the heart that holds them. • grief as gray rather than black and white • shock, aftershocks, and anniversaries as normal rhythms • love as th...

Send us Fan Mail We share a gentle guide to facing holidays and anniversaries after loss, with practical tools that reduce pressure and honor love. We explain why grief isn’t linear, how waves return, and how faith, ritual, and support help you endure and heal. (See:  hospicefoundation.org ) • choosing plans and rituals that fit your energy • communicating needs and setting expectations with famil...

Send us Fan Mail We explore the raw, tender reality of losing a family pet and how everyday rituals make their absence feel vast.  We unpack disenfranchised grief, memorials, and how surviving pets can mourn too. • why pet loss can feel as deep as any bereavement • daily bonds that make absence hit hard • urgent choices, and easing suffering • parenting while grieving and holding space for kids •...

Send us Fan Mail Keeping vigil, reflecting on the gap between a rich life and a plain death, and wondering how faith, science, and ritual help us hold loss without letting it define us. The dead may be invisible, but we explore how their presence can still affect us. • why stories of death need telling and retelling • readings on the nearness of the dead and what comfort means • the vigil: hospice...

Send us Fan Mail We share Rachel’s story of layered loss during 2020 and how a simple breeze became a faithful sign that love endures. We explore last words, waves of grief, and practical rituals to feel presence without denying absence. • why naming love before goodbye brings peace • how grief arrives in waves and why that is normal • the role of nature and sensory cues in healing • continuing bo...

Send us Fan Mail Today we explore a traditional Rosh Hashanah reading from 1 Samuel about Jonathan's loyal friendship with King David, and; extracts powerful lessons for those on a grief journey. The biblical story demonstrates how love transcends hatred, and ultimately has the healing power to mend our deepest wounds. Especially grief. • Examination of the biblical story of Jonathan protecti...

Send us Fan Mail Today we explore how our attachments to physical objects transform during grief. Loss requires us to reconsider what we hold onto and why, as we weave grief into the fabric of our lives rather than trying to overcome it. • Grief isn't something to "get over" but something we integrate into our lives • Moving to a new home revealed how many things I was willing to le...

Send us Fan Mail When we're grieving, our culture of rugged individualism often tells us to face losses alone, but healing requires the presence of others. This episode explores why seeking support during grief isn't weakness but essential wisdom for moving forward. • Grief and loss are inevitable in life but nearly impossible to manage alone • Many avoid seeking help due to fear of appe...

Send us Fan Mail Today we explore how to walk with God during grief when prayer feels impossible and faith seems distant. Grief creates natural spiritual questions as we navigate the physical, emotional, and psychological shifts that come with significant loss. • Picture God on your side rather than as the cause of suffering • God's compassionate presence walks with us through our pain • Trus...

Send us Fan Mail Journaling serves as both a memorial and milestone marker on our grief journeys, allowing us to process complex emotions and track our healing progress over time.  Journal entries spanning several years document my experiences with various losses and the spiritual dimensions of grief. • Grief journaling helps memorialize our journey and provides perspective on how far we've c...

Send us Fan Mail Grief creates a profound rupture in our lives, affecting us spiritually, psychologically, emotionally, and physically. The 14th century spiritual classic "The Cloud of Unknowing" offers wisdom for navigating the darkness of grief through contemplative prayer. • Focuses on prayer as an act of will and love rather than intellect • Offers practical guidance for being fully...

Send us Fan Mail We explore Karl Rahner's profound spiritual insights from "Encounters with Silence," focusing on finding God within the ordinary routines of daily life. Rahner, a Jesuit priest and influential 20th century theologian who helped shape Vatican II, offers wisdom particularly relevant to those experiencing grief. • Karl Rahner entered the Society of Jesus in 1922 and wa...

Send us Fan Mail Experience how St. Ignatius of Loyola would counsel someone experiencing fresh grief through spiritual wisdom, emotional sensitivity, and practical guidance based on his teachings and spirituality. These approaches help navigate grief by fostering deeper connection with God, finding meaning in suffering, and cultivating hope even in our darkest moments. • Acknowledge pain and invi...

Send us Fan Mail Candee Lucas, a grief chaplain and spiritual director trained by the Jesuits at Santa Clara University, presents an imaginative interview with St. Ignatius of Loyola exploring spiritual approaches to grief and loss. The 500-year-old saint offers compassionate guidance for those experiencing profound sorrow after losing a loved one. • Recognizing "desolation" - when grief...