Dealing with Grief and Fears

We’re all a bit scared right now. Indeed, if we aren’t, we should be. The tentacles of Covid-19 are everywhere and getting worse. And we are warned that health systems are under serious strain. In England, where the new, more contagious…

I’ve been journaling since the age of 10, when my mother gave me a journal to help me cope with the death of my grandmother, who’d been my caretaker. Little did I realize that my mother’s seemingly simple gesture would set the stage…

With Covid-19, we are drowning in statistics. Every day, I see the number of new cases, the number of hospitalisations, the number of deaths. For my country and the rest of the world. They are overwhelming, and it is hard to take them all in…

The holiday lights are shining, Christmas trees are on display, the carols are playing, and presents are wrapped. Many people look forward to the festivities like no other, and the anticipation is as heartwarming as the actual holidays…

It wasn’t until after my husband died that I realized how much I relied on him for home maintenance tasks. Whether it was unclogging the toilet or patching holes in the drywall, he did it all. Now that he’s gone, it’s fallen to me to get all…

One of the loveliest lessons we have learned as we reach our 60s and beyond is that life is full of surprising twists and turns. What may have been a passing fancy becomes a life-long passion and major fork in the road. I once had a yoga…

Despite great advances in medical care, humans still have a 100% mortality rate. Yet fewer than 30% of adults do any end-of-life planning: wills or trusts, advance medical directives and pre-need funeral planning…

If you live to be over 60, loss is inevitable. I anticipated the loss of my parents, knowing the day was looming when they would pass on as part of the natural order of life. What I didn’t prepare for was losing my sister, Linda…

Recently, I arranged a funeral for the husband of a woman named Arlene. The couple did not have cemetery property. Nor had they discussed where they wanted to be buried. They were, in other words, like too many others who haven’t…

The holiday season is often marked by the loss of loved ones, so it’s a good idea to be prepared for the inevitable. I am a well-published writer, so it seems that when a close friend or family member dies, I’m asked to write the eulogy.