I Am A Griever

Betsy – Adoption and grief

Betsy tell her story of losing her adopted son to cancer

Scott – Music and grief

Scott discusses the relationship between music and grief

Kate – Things I do that help

Kate talks about how art, hiking and visiting the cemetery can be very therapeutic

Joyce – Using my grief experience to help people

Joyce talks about the positive experiences she has in helping other people in grief

When Death Feels like a Thief

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.

John – The power of journaling

John shares how journaling has helped him so much

Learning from Grief

Grief is weird. Odd start, I know, but that was the sentence I used a lot whenever someone asked me how I was. It was never a constant feeling; it changed day to day. And still does. It’s the full gambit of emotions from sadness to anger to guilt and, though dark, even humour found its way in.

Reflections on Mother’s Day

Mother’s day is a holiday where we show appreciation and care for the maternal roles in our lives. However, this holiday can feel very overwhelming for those of us who are grieving the death of a mother figure, a mother grieving their child, or those of us grieving the loss of not being able to become mothers ourselves.

Lyss – Music

Lyss remembers playing music for her mother as she was dying and how music has helped with feelings

Angie – Grief and Policing

Angie talks about policing and priorities and the importance of self care

Adam – Story 1

Adam shares about losing his Mom and the many wonderful things he remembers

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.