Death of A Loved One

Kara – “Hearing it in my mind”

Kara discusses how she hears the strength of her relationship in her mind. Kara continues to grieve the death of her partner.

Russell – “Be good to yourself”

Russell explains that looking after himself gives him the strength to look after others. Russell continues to grieve the perinatal death of his son.

Karyn and Aidan – Support.

Karyn and Aidan discuss how much the support they received helped

Donna B – “Seeking Help”

Donna talks about the importance of speaking to someone. Donna continues to grieve the death her son during service in Afghanistan.

The First Fathers’ Day Without Dad

When you lose a person in the generation before you, you begin to think about what they meant to you. When you lose a parent, you think about all they meant, and you hoped you either lived up to the best of yourself, or in some cases where the parenting was not as instructive or kind, you hope you’ve raised yourself beyond difficult circumstances.

Craig – Supporting Someone in Grief

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Craig discusses his personal experience with grief and how he felt when people didn’t reach out to him during a difficult time. He offers advice on how to best support someone who is grieving, emphasizing the importance of simply showing up and letting them know that you care.

Kim – Facebook and connecting

Kim – discussses our need to connect and how Facebook was useful after her Mum’s death

Grief & Ice Cream

When my wife of 18 years died in 2016, I became a single father missing the love of my life, and also had to learn how to raise two girls (13-17 at the time) on my own. I remember a conversation I had with my mother-in-law and oldest daughter that began as reminiscing over a person who became a lost love to all of us. We all talked about different aspects of my wife but shortly, it transformed into a “who meant more to her” fest.

Russell – “Questions people ask”

Russell discusses how he answers the hardest questions people ask. Russell continues to grieve the perinatal death of his son.

Doug – “Birthdays”

Doug discusses time, pity and sharing with others. Doug continues to grieve the death of bis daughter in a car accident.

Karyn and Aidan – Challenges with COVID restrictions

Karyn and Aidan discuss the COVID restrictions on visitations and how they managed

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.