Link to “Grief At The Holidays: 12 Ways To Cope With Losing A Loved One This Easter And Passover”

Link to “Grief At The Holidays: 12 Ways To Cope With Losing A Loved One This Easter And Passover” from The Huffington Post  |  By Kate Bratskier

Link to “Supporting a Grieving Person” by Melinda Smith, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D.

Extremely helpful article: “Supporting a Grieving Person” by Melinda Smith, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D.

Link to Canadian article entitled “If You Are Grieving The Loss of a Spouse, Here Are Some Approaches to Help You Heal” by Theresa Karn

“If You Are Grieving The Loss of a Spouse, Here Are Some Approaches to Help You Heal” by Theresa Karn

Link to an Article Entitled “The Joy or Dread of Spring?”

The changes of the seasons can intensify one’s grief: “The Joy or Dread of Spring?” by Kayla Waldschmidt

How could driving a truck be a form of “mourning”?

Many times “grief” and “mourning” are terms which are used interchangeably, but they represent very different things. As defined by Alan Wolfelt, PhD in his “Understanding Your Grief” book:

• “Grief is the constellation of internal thoughts and feelings we have when someone we love dies. Think of grief as the container. It holds all of your thoughts, feelings, and images of your experience when you are bereaved. In other words, grief is the internal meaning given to the experience of loss.
• Mourning is when you take the grief you have on the inside and express it outside of yourself. Another way of defining is ‘grief gone public’ or ‘the outward expression of grief.’ Talking about the person who died, crying, expressing your thoughts and feelings through art or music, and celebrating special anniversary dates that held meaning for the person who died are just a few examples of mourning.” (p.22)

The song below is entitled “I Drive Your Truck” and is sung by country music artist Lee Brice. Each time I’ve heard it, I have just had to smile. The song provides two examples of mourning: (1) writing songs about what one feels; (2) doing something a loved one would have done (i.e., drive a particular truck). As time goes on, I will post more examples of songs from different genres which provide examples of mourning. If you have any song suggestions, please e-mail them to me (Kim) at stjosephnober@yahoo.com. Thanks, in advance, for any suggestions.

Link to Article: “Common Myths and Misconceptions About Grief”

“Common Myths and Misconceptions About Grief”
by Marty Tousley, CNS-BC, FT, DCC

Memorial Gifts

There are many places who have created memorial gifts that you can either buy in memory of your loved one or you can buy for a friend/family member. Some of those items include but are not limited to Memorial…:

• Picture Frames
• Garden Stones
• Benches
• Necklaces & Bracelets
• Ornaments
• Photo Wall Canvas
• Photo Flag
• Candle
• Key Chain
• Garden Stake
• Afghan
• Wall Cross
• Memory Box
• Wind Chimes
• Trees

Many businesses sell these types of items but here are links to a few:

• The Comfort Company
• Gifts for You Now
• PersonalCreations.com
• Heart to Heart Sympathy Gifts
• Personalization Mall
• Perfect Memorials
• Sympathy Solutions

Memorial Bears

For many years, I dreamed of having a volunteer to be able to make Memorial Bears our of a loved one’s clothing for the families of our St. Joseph Hospice patients and that dream became a reality a couple of years ago. If you or your family would like to receive one or more of those bears, free of charge, please contact Kim either via e-mail at stjosephnober@yahoo.com or via phone at (504) 734-0140.

As part of my October seminar, I highlight these bears, and I give references to the following websites, one being the Simplicity pattern to make your own and one being a person who makes Memory Bears:

 

St. Joseph’s Day Altar on Tuesday, March 19 at Green Acres Country Club

As most of you are aware, St. Joseph’s Day Altars are an important part of the New Orleans’ culture. They began as a custom brought to New Orleans by Sicilian immigrants, and the tradition grew to a more public event on St. Joseph's Feast Day on March 19.

Each year, St. Joseph Hospice presents a St. Joseph’s Altar, and this year the event will occur on Tuesday, March 19. If you would like participate by preparing the food for the altar, please contact Beth Langlois at 504-734-0140.

If you would like to attend, the blessing for the altar will occur at 11:00am and the food will be served from 11:00am until 2pm at Green Acres Country Club (5000 W Napoleon Ave, Metairie, LA 70001, Corner of W. Napoleon & Transcontinental).

Map to 824 Elmwood Park Blvd.

All of the St. Joseph Hospice Bereavement events, other than the semi-annual Memorial Services, will take place at 824 Elmwood Park Blvd, either in our office at Suite 155 or the Conference Room at Suite 140.

March Seminar Next Monday, March 11, 2013

This seminar has been designed to give participants practical ideas to help them deal with the death of their loved one and to assist in the healing process. One of the books from Alan D. Wolfelt’s (Ph.D.) Healing series, Healing Your Grieving Heart, will be the primary resource for this particular seminar.

6-7pm at the LCCU Conference Room (#140)

Louisiana Central Credit Union Building at 824 Elmwood Park Blvd.