Death of A Loved One

Adam – Crying and singing

>
Adam talks about how crying and singing helps him cope even at the cemetary

Donna B – “A Mother salutes her son”

Donna tells her story of joining the army after her son was already a soldier. Donna continues to grieve the death her son during service in Afghanistan.

Mourning a Man I Never Knew

This spring, I turned fifty-four. I have now outlived the father I never knew: my biological father. It’s been almost twenty-three years since we spoke; eighteen years since I learned of his death. I’m still dealing with the strange grief of his loss.

Karyn and Aidan – Support.

Karyn and Aidan discuss how much the support they received helped

Bryan – Trauma

Bryan discusses trauma anxiety, support and the loss of his father to gun violence

Keeping Records

I pulled the photos out of their envelope one at a time, turning over each one to carefully record the date, place, and people in the photo. Sometimes, I included comments. “Apple picking in Hamilton with Pop Pop, Fall, 2023. You loved the wagon ride!”. I slipped each picture into an empty pocket in my son’s photo album.

Doodles

On the first anniversary, I invited people who would understand – friends who knew Marshal’s love of art, and his creative spirit. They all came.

I had copied several of Marshal’s doodles of incomplete characters and creatures, with some finished for the kids to color. I eagerly watched to see which doodle or drawing each person chose.

Lyss – My Story

Lyss talks about being 16 and her Mom dying from cancer. The second part of her story is about miscarriages

Jessica M – A Parking Lot Memorial

Jessica shares how her family gathered after her uncle died during COVID and how her family came up with a creative way of getting together in a parking lot.

Caileigh – Advice to my younger self about grief

Caileigh talks about things that you can do to balance out feelings that it’s okay to experience all of the big feelings that you have, to find joy in little moments, and to find ways that you can cope with those big feelings.

Donna B – “Strains on a Marriage”

Donna discusses how grieving can effect a marriage and a job. Donna continues to grieve the death her son during service in Afghanistan.

Matt – Crying

Matt talks about men and crying. Matt continues to grieve the death of his birth mother.