by Gary Roe | Courageous Living, Decision-making, Depression, Emotional pain, Faith, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief and Loss, Grief recovery, Healing, Hope, Loss of a Child, Loss of a friend, Loss of a parent, Loss of a sibling, loss of a spouse, Love, Purpose and meaning, Relationships, Sadness, Suffering and Pain, Worry
I don’t know about you, but I’m sad today. Six friends of mine died this year, including a young neighbor across the street. Two other friends lost teen sons to suicide. Our family’s beloved optometrist was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s...
by Gary Roe | Anniversaries, Death and dying, Depression, Emotional pain, Families and grief, Family relationships, Fatigue and Exhaustion, Grief and Loss, Grief recovery, Holiday grief, Hope, Loneliness, Loss of a Child, Loss of a friend, Loss of a parent, Loss of a sibling, loss of a spouse, Physical illness, Physical symptoms, Relationships, Sadness, Stress Management
Holidays can make us crazy. Add loss and grief into the mix, and many of us wonder how we’re going to get through this. Holidays can be crazy-making times. “I’m scared. It’s like I’m frozen and can’t move. How do I face life without my husband?” Tina asked....
by Gary Roe | Courageous Living, Death and dying, Emotional pain, Families and grief, Family relationships, Grief and Loss, Grief recovery, Holiday grief, Hope, Loss of a Child, Loss of a friend, Loss of a parent, Loss of a sibling, loss of a spouse, Relationships, Sadness, Stress Management, Suffering and Pain
Sal and Mildred called themselves December people. They were both born in December and were married on Christmas Eve. “We partied all month long!” Mildred said. When Mildred passed in early December, Sal wasn’t surprised. “She waited until our party month. Now she’s...
by Gary Roe | Anxiety, Death and dying, Faith, Fear, Grief and Loss, Healing from the past, Hospice stories, Loneliness, Peace, Physical illness, Purpose and meaning, Relationships, Stress Management, Suffering and Pain
We’re made for relationship. No wonder loss hurts. It crushes our hearts. As a hospice chaplain, I believe one of our greatest fears is feeling alone, left behind, or abandoned. I’ve felt it myself, and I’ve heard it from the hearts of hundreds of others. Steven’s...
by Gary Roe | Anger management, Anxiety, Depression, divorce recovery, Emotional pain, Families and grief, Family relationships, Forgiveness, Grief and Loss, Grief recovery, Loss of a Child, Loss of a friend, Loss of a parent, Loss of a sibling, loss of a spouse, Purpose and meaning, Relationships, Sadness, Spiritual suffering, Stress Management, Suffering and Pain, Suicidal thoughts
When loss hits, our world changes. This includes our relationships. People around us tend to over-promise but under-deliver in terms of supporting us in meaningful ways. This leads to more loss. From the Grieving Heart: This would be easier if it weren’t...
by Gary Roe | Abuse Recovery, Death and dying, divorce recovery, Fear, Grief and Loss, Grief recovery, Guilt, Healing, Healing from the past, Healing from trauma, Holiday grief, Peace, Relationships, Suffering and Pain, Trauma recovery
Worry. Anxiety. Fear. Panic. Most of us are familiar with these things. “I’m having trouble sleeping. My mind won’t settle. I’m nervous and fidgety. I can’t concentrate,” Mary said, gently rocking back and forth. “In fact, I seem to be anxious about everything,” she...
