Blog Post

Beauty found at the edges: a portrait of community support

March 1, 2023

I’d sent a text saying “Hello friends, I’m putting out a call for flowers. I went to public school with Kory, the young man who died in downtown Cobourg this week, and though I hadn’t seen him in recent years, I feel the loss of him on a community level, as I imagine you do, too. Some of Kory’s people are gathering tonight in vigil at the bank where he died, and I’m gathering flowers from those of us who have gardens to share with this grieving community. Do you have some blooms in your garden that you’d be willing to share?”

Blog Post / Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Griever / I Am A Supporter / Supporting Others

Jessica’s Reflections as an Adult Grieving Child

November 16, 2023

Parents or trusted adults are people children often turn to for support, but my circle of trusted adults was shrinking. My peers were focused on what to wear on civvies day (a day where we didn’t have to wear a uniform), while I was focused on just surviving.

Blog Post / Death of a Grandparent / Death of a Parent / I Am A Griever

When Death Feels like a Thief

August 24, 2022

In the heart of my grief, at my frailest, all I could see was what was no more. I grieved all that was stolen from me by death; love, security and even my very self. Had I known the value of having every pocket of who I was, picked bare by grief, I would not have fought so hard to hold onto it all.

Blog Post / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Death During Service / Death of A Loved One / Grief and Trauma / I Am A Griever / Living with Dying / Perinatal / Suicide

Grief, Exhaustion, & Rest

March 21, 2024

Many people consider grief to be a response to the death of a loved one, but we grieve so much more than that. Grief is an emotional response to loss of any kind. Both real or perceived loss can trigger the response. The loss of a job, a miscarriage, a breakup, losing a sentimental item,…

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / I Am A Griever / I Am A Professional / I Am A Supporter

Tending to My Garden of Grief

July 6, 2022

So long as I remember the lives of those I have lost, honour their presence and impact on me and celebrate their spirit, they will continue to live with me and the pain will feel bearable. It will no longer stop me in my tracks. Instead, it will encourage me and propel me forward through the transmutation of that grief into something different, something more nuanced and fluid. I’d like to share a practice for processing grief which I have found to be especially helpful.

Art / Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / Grief and Trauma / Supporting Others

Holding Space for The Many Faces of Grief on Father’s Day

June 15, 2024

A lot of blog posts and articles about grief and special days tend to focus on how to navigate these moments when our loved one has died. Often these articles of grief also talk about the ways we have deeply loved or cared for the person who has died. Grief is a natural response to…

Blog Post / I Am A Griever

Saved by a Unicorn: How I Found the Positive in Grief, One Stitch at a Time

May 16, 2023

Looking back, I had no idea how to even continue to live. A simple attempt at something therapeutic sent the negative bereavement energy into a positive direction. It made me realize my strengths, at a time when I felt I had none at all. It provided a space where I am now better able to manage grief when it hits.

Art / Blog Post / Death of a Partner / I Am A Griever

Finding Joy During the Holidays After Loss When Everything Feels Awful: A message of hope.

December 10, 2024

My mother died in the middle of the night on January 1, four days before I turned sixteen. I don’t remember much about Christmas the couple weeks before she died, just that we spent a lot of that season in the ICU of the hospital where my mother had birthed my brother and I. For…

Blog Post / Collective/Community Grief / Death of A Loved One / Death of a Parent / I Am A Griever

Care and Well-Being for Grievers and Their Supporters

June 7, 2021

Post by Maureen Pollard, MSW, RSW Care and Well-Being for Grievers and Their Supporters Grief can be all consuming. It can monopolize our attention and drain our energy. When we are grieving, we can forget to tend to our well-being. This is also true when we are supporting someone who is experiencing raw, deep or complex grief.…

Blog Post

What Does Grief Support Look Like?

July 20, 2022

When we experience significant, on-going symptoms of grief that interfere with our adjustment to the reality of our loss, it can be time to seek professional help. It can be difficult to know where to find help and what grief support options are available.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Death During Service / Death of A Loved One / Grief and Trauma / Supporting Others

Jewish Perspectives on Grieving

December 13, 2023

What is Jewish Grieving? All humans can, and should, grieve over loss of life during a conflict. No matter the beginning or the end, all violence ends with grief. Someone’s grandparent, parent, sibling or child will die. That cycle of violence must cease.

Blog Post / Collective/Community Grief

Alongside

February 8, 2023

That is also our best, and only role, when supporting a person with a developmental disability to grieve. We must be the one that comes alongside. There is no closer place we can get to. We must be present, be with, perhaps not understanding or comprehending what the person we support is experiencing, but alongside them nonetheless. We must be there, ready to provide whatever we can discover of their unique need in grief.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / I Am A Professional / I Am A Supporter / Supporting Others