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Coping on Valentines Day

Just when we made it through the holiday season, we now face Valentine’s Day and if you have lost a loved one, this holiday can be a difficult day to get through. It is hard

Surviving a COVID Thanksgiving

We cannot deny that 2020 has looked a lot different than we anticipated. Cancelled travel plans, social distancing, group sizes, masks, and uncertainty have impacted many of our holiday plans.  Many of us will spend

Coping with Grief during COVID-19

We have all been impacted to a degree by the COVID-19 pandemic and you may feel feelings of sorrow, fear and anger.  Or perhaps you feel exhausted, numb and detached from the normal ways of

Understanding Hospice Care

Until my Mom was placed in “in-home” hospice after a long illness with Alzheimer’s, I did not appreciate what end of life with hospice meant.  I was lucky to be there while my Mom had

Dealing with Anticipatory Grief

Grieving is not just the loss of a loved one who has passed away; you may go through grief as you prepare for a loved one’s end of life. Anticipatory grief is the feelings and

Grieving on Father’s Day

Holidays, like Father’s Day, often bring up a multitude of emotions, not only if your loss is recent or long ago. Fathers Day may put you back on the roller coaster of grief whether you

The White Stick

This blog was written by Jacqueline Middler who bravely shares her story of pain and forgiveness. She states so eloquently that grief comes in many forms and by finally giving it to God, she is

Finding Joy in Uncertain Times

We all desire for joy and happiness, but it often eludes us, especially when we are facing uncertainty with COVID-19.   With many of us forced to isolate and we have to find new ways to

Dealing with loss during COVID-19

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted us in many ways, it not only has influenced how we live and work but also how we say good-bye to loved ones. The limited interactions with others as we

A Mother’s Day Grief

Mother’s Day is the time we celebrate the beautiful women in our lives.  But it can also leave many of us who have experienced grief and loss around motherhood in an emotional state. There are

Grief, Isolation, and Loneliness

One of the biggest challenges of COVID-19 is the isolation we face. Most of us have been  forced to change our daily routines. We’re bored, and we’re lonely.  The fear of the unknown and all

Finding a Caregiver

Choosing a caregiver is a process that is stressful, challenging, and financially difficult. Especially during these trying times with the Covid-19 virus, it is critical to take extra precautions whether you are searching for or

Why am I not Grieving?

Grief is full of surprises, while most of us experience the unexpectedly overwhelming feelings of devastation that overtakes us, some do not. Our idea of grief looks and feels like it begins before experiencing personal

Love after Loss

Life after loss is lonely and frightening, regardless of the people who support you and surround you after loss, you still feel that ache of being alone.  Alone in your pain, alone in your suffering,

Broken Hearts at Valentines Day

Valentine’s day can trigger emotions of grief no matter how long it has been since a loved one has passed.  For anyone who has suffered a loss, this day can be especially challenging, a day

Grieving the loss of an Icon

James 4:14,  “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” What a powerful verse and one

Caring for a Loved One

Caring for yourself is as important as caring for a loved one.  Taking care of a loved one is exhausting physically and emotionally, but it is an act of love that is both selfless and

A New Year, A New You – Finding Your Joy

The trials of life and seasons of difficult times can put us in a place of pain and suffering, which can cause us to focus on our problems and forget to recognize the joy we

Finding Peace and Moving Forward in the New Year

The New Year is an opportunity for many to put aside the past and focus on new beginnings. Many of us make New Year resolutions like going to the gym, starting a diet, and getting

How to Survive the Holidays when Grieving

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, or is it? New Years is right around the corner. For those who are suffering, you may want to avoid it. You may feel like you are

Thankful amid Storms

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’ s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 A Thanksgiving tradition is going around the table to share what we are

Understanding the Depression Stage of Grief

The most critical stage of grief is depression and can easily take hold of you if you are not aware of the signs and symptoms.  Because you are dealing with the emotional and perhaps physical

Understanding the Bargaining Stage of Grief

The bargaining stage of grief is often a way to negotiate with someone or something you believe can change the outcome of the situation. Many emotions occur where you attempt to make bargains in an

Understanding the Anger Stage of Grief

Many believe that you should be able to get through your grief in weeks or months which is not accurate. As you move from denial to anger your begin to be aware of fact and

Denial – Understanding Stage One of the Grieving Process

The first of a five-part series, delving into each of the five distinct stages (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) of the grieving process. Denial is considered stage one of the grieving process.  During the

Dealing with anxiety

I never considered myself as someone who suffered from anxiety, but looking at the definition – “apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or anticipated ill” or “ strong desire sometimes mixed with doubt,

Finding comfort in the midst of tragedy

As I was preparing to write about the scripture In Mathew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted,” I had to shift my original focus from what I intended to write.   This

What is Grief Coaching

Grief is an inevitable part of life that touches all of us all at some point. We suffer grief not only when we lose a loved one but in other types of losses as well.  

What to expect in the early days of Grief

The first weeks and months after a loss, whether it be a loss due to a death, a divorce, a job, a pet, or anything that causes you to feel the pain of grief is

Self-care tips for when you are grieving

Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences anyone can go through. Grief is a normal response to loss, which impacts each person differently, you may experience a range of emotions from

Tips to support someone who’s grieving

When it comes to helping others grieve, most of us don’t know what to do or say, and saying the wrong thing can devastate, anger and cause further pain to those suffering. Grieving is an

Understanding the Five Stages of Grief

Grief will be the hardest thing you will go through in life. It does not matter what your loss may be, it is not easy and grief unresolved may keep you in a constant state

Father’s Day and Grief

Grief on Father’s Day can occur whether you are grieving the loss of your father or if you are a father grieving the loss of a child. This day can be a challenge as it

There Once Was A Man

Today is the official launch of joythroughjoy, an important day for me as it is the 6th anniversary of when my soul-mate passed away. The path God has led me down over the past six

Tips For Handling Grief

Grief is hard; people often say it is like a roller coaster ride; it pulls you up, and then drops you down.  It twists and turns, leaving your heart in your throat and your mind

A Future of Hope

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me

Brave, Strong and Broken all at once

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3). How is it possible to be brave, strong and broken all at the same time? Life is full of challenges, problems, and heartache. We

Five Strategies for a Healthier and Happier You

God tells to treat our bodies as a temple.  He made each of us unique and beautiful images of Him. The definition of a temple in the dictionary – “a building devoted to the worship, or