Dealing with Grief and Fears

My 15-year-old grandson died by suicide six weeks ago. At 3pm, six weeks ago, I was wondering how many of the delicious cookies that I’d just baked I could eat. By 5pm, my whole world had changed for ever. To say life is now difficult is a complete…

Elvis picked me. We met in the Russian Blue cat breeder’s lounge room. The other kittens ran around, ignoring me. Elvis trotted over, paused for a quizzical look, then jumped into my lap. He purred, I petted, he curled up and slept. Smitten, I took him home…

At one time I felt that Jonathan, aka Darth Vader, was the “Man of My Dreams” – my “last lover” (and exactly how many “lovers” do I wish to accumulate? Not too many is the hope…). Weird how one can believe in fairytale romance…

Remembering a loved one is a deeply personal experience. At the same time, one of the things that is special about our community is that we can talk about difficult topics. So, today, I want to offer 13 ways to remember someone that you have lost…

Sylvia was becoming more and more frail. It was clear that, though in good spirits, her body was nearing the end of life. She kept having visits to the hospital and had recently had a fall which had precipitated one of these. As women 60 and over, we will often…

Two days ago, I received a note from a reader who follows my writing on a couple of different platforms. It caught me by surprise, if for no other reason that it is so very easy, sitting here in relative isolation and still under the corner of the heavy quarantine…

As baby boomers start facing their own mortality, the idea of eco-friendly funerals is becoming more widespread. If you bicycle, recycle or just want to minimize your final carbon footprint, consider these unique eco-friendly approaches for a greener…

After a loss, it’s normal to experience deep and painful feelings of grief. During this challenging Covid-19 pandemic, many individuals can really benefit from grief counseling and other mental health services. Medicare provides coverage for many…

Two summers ago, my cousin Elizabeth died. Her death was sudden and occurred less than two weeks after the death of her mother. But unlike her mother, who had a traditional funeral, Elizabeth’s wish was to be cremated…

Marie’s son was distraught. He had told his mother he would have the doctors do everything they could – but now they were saying that they didn’t know how long she would be able to breathe on her own without the tube, nor did they know…