Since the presidential election there has been a firestorm of articles, social media posts, and heated comments and replies back and forth from extremely unhappy voters and those who feel compelled to try and change other people’s minds. What an exercise in futility.... read more
The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home. (Confucius) In today’s society, many words that once had positive connotations now have negative connotations … religion, morals, Christian, conservative. A word that has come up recently in our... read more
My dad was in the hospital with a bone infection and amputation seemed imminent. It was June of 2014. My mom had pneumonia and she was home-bound. My older sister was in Europe. My little sister was 10 months pregnant. My brothers were working and coming by when they... read more
It’s Not Weird to Talk About Your Loved One Who Died Last week I survived the 13th anniversary of my son’s death. Even after 13 years, it is a painful day. In fact, the days and weeks leading up to the anniversary date are extremely emotional and anxious and... read more
Learning to live without your loved one is a long and difficult road to travel. Through books,support groups, blind luck, and the grace of God, I have learned many things that were of great help to me. I share three simple ideas here. I hope they help you on your... read more
Why???? Why does grief side-swipe you, knock you down, come over you like a thick blanket at the strangest times? When you feel like you are doing good, moving forward, and then out of no where, BAM!!! I was in the middle of preparing taxes for my kids. As I was... read more
The holidays are over and the first half of January is too … Well thank goodness! The holidays are hard. They are stressful for everyone, especially those who are missing someone who has died … a mother, father, sister, husband, son or daughter. I have... read more
During the holidays, I often wonder about the nuances of familial relationships. In other words, I wonder, “Why can’t people just get along?” The holidays are generally considered a time of friendly get-togethers complemented by bountiful meals of... read more
Why do bad things happen to good people? This question comes to mind so often in life … when you see stories on the news of people committing hateful and violent acts against one another, when you learn your co-worker’s spouse walked away from the marriage... read more
By Jennifer Hacker Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still. ~ Chinese proverb ~ Last week at a Halloween party, I found myself amazed and proud about something most parents would never imagine could be a proud moment. My son has Developmental... read more
By Jennifer Hacker – The best piece of advice I can give you is “Don’t avoid talking to the grieving person about their loved one.” Most people avoid the merest mention of the person who died because they think, “She seems to be doing well today so I don’t want to... read more
Sometimes I have this random desire to say something about Jackson’s death, out of the blue, to someone totally unsuspecting and completely innocent. For example, today I invited my brother-in-law to join me and the kids at Raymond Russell park. He asked,... read more
