There I was–standing beside the hospital bed where my dear mother laid unresponsive for the past 24 hours. My sister and I tried everything to wake her: We sang to her (that certainly should have jolted her awake), we read Bible passages, held her hand, prayed for her and filled the room with over 25 grandchildren, but no response. Then . . . Continue reading →
She was crabby! She was grumpy! She yelled at the nurses and complained all the time…Just the kind of person I like to avoid, but I couldn’t because she was in the bed next to my mother in a rehab center.
Continue reading →
“I think I’ll start a fresh to-do list. I’ll leave room at the top of my list–room for names instead of tasks. My new first line will say, “Be more like Jesus. Make people the most important thing today.” Amy Carroll Continue reading →
You are at visitation at a funeral home. You are in this long line, and you are wondering what to say when your finally reach the individuals who are grieving the death of a loved one. Listen to this 5 minute podcast for the answer. Continue reading …
What you say. What you don’t say. What you do. What you don’t do causes a ripple effect. Are you kicking someone’s cat?
Continue reading →
What you say. What you don’t say. What you do. What you don’t do causes a ripple effect. The questions are: How big of a ripple will you make? And what kind of ripple effect will you make?
Continue reading →
He looked like a scalawag. He had a long stringy pony tail. His body was adorned with several body piercings and many tattoos. And he was standing next to an old scarred-up car. And he was, and I was in a large Wal-Mart parking lot. Now what would you think and feel?
Continue reading →
How can you help someone take a “mini-vacation” or take a break from suffering?
Continue reading →
Grief is the normal and natural process by which a person makes a healthy adjustment to any significant loss in his or her life. Any significant loss (the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a broken marriage, deterioration of health, a shattered dream, etc.) triggers this process. Someone has said that grief is like the wave in the ocean. What does that tell you about grief?
Anger is a natural part of grief. We may not consciously acknowledge our anger, but it is usually there to some degree. When we can express openly our anger at the awful situation we are experiencing, we are dealing with anger in an appropriate way. I recommend screaming, beating a pillow against the bed, using a punching bag, writing
an angry letter (and not sending it), exercising and jouraling feelings.
Continue reading →
