The Grief Toolbox

March Newsletter: Hope

The theme of this month's newsletter is Hope. A favorite quote of mine about hope comes from Darcie Sims: "Hope isn't a place or thing. Hope isn't the absence of pain or sadness or sorrow. Hope is possibility. Hope is the memory of love given and received." May this newsletter help you find hope as you continue along your healing journey.

Hope and Light
Discover the Value of Writing for Healing and Hope!
"You're Gonna Make it 'Cause You Gotta Make It."
How the Loss of My Daughter Has Changed My Life
The Grief Literacy Test

Hope and Light

By Barbara Mason

Things that were once so simple become mountains of impossibilities. Something as easy as rinsing dishes change in our eyes to a rushing flood of torrent rains. Laundry is the Swiss Alps. Cooking is a brunt pan on the stove because we forgot we were cooking. Driving is not advised. The mind wonders and you can't remember how you got from point 'A' to point 'Z' and you freak. Normal thought does not exist. Conversations sound as though you have been evaded by Aliens. You know the look on your face is confusion when someone who is talking to you, stops suddenly and raises an eyebrow. Your mind wonders from the mundane task at hand and you walk away, forgetting what you were doing.

By Alice J. Wisler

One of the beautiful things about living this life without is how we have the freedom to help others without. What a sad world it would be if we kept all knowledge to ourselves---all nuggets of wisdom, all beads of hope, all glimpses of truth. The beauty is that in our despair we seek and do find life-giving morsels along the way to share with others.

Writing through pain has been my respite. When my son Daniel first died I looked forward to dates with my journal each evening. In the pages of my journal, I penned my pain and sorrow.

Like Alice Walker said, "Writing saved me."

I Believe That... Box Sign

$15.99

This box sign created by Primitives by Kathy would make a very thoughtful gift for someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one. It measures 9" by 4" and is 1.75" deep. Made of wood, it can freestand on a shelf or hang for wall display.

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"You're Gonna Make it 'Cause You Gotta Make It."

By Harriet Hodgson

Decades ago, when I was a young mother with two little daughters, the Air Force sent my husband to Vietnam. A flight surgeon, he was commander of a base hospital in the central highlands. He was gone for a year, and during that year I grieved for him immensely. My anticipatory grief became worse as the months passed. Each day, I wondered if this would be the day men in uniform would appear at the door to tell me my husband was killed in action.

Broken Hearts Speak the Same Language

How the Loss of My Daughter Has Changed My Life

By Janie Wells

A perfect stranger stole my daughter's life from her in a way that was the antithesis of how she lived in 2001. No one should have to bury a child but many of us do. Along with my loss, it seemed that future dreams and the security of old age became faded dreams. My life transformed from multi-dimensional introspection to a flat line existence. My belief systems shattered and truth challenged me every day to find its meaning in my decisions. I eventually had to learn from my life of pain just to survive.

Rustic Hope With Butterfly Plaque

$15.99

Hope With Butterfly Plaque inspires hope!
Carved wall hanging with twine attached.
Made to look rustic.
These carved and painted Hope plaques bring encouragement to anyone. Stained letters and border/frame with a carved and stained butterfly. Can hang on the wall or sit on a shelf or mantle. Measures approx. 11 inches wide by 2 inches tall.

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The Grief Literacy Test

By Lynda Cheldelin Fell

Any griever will tell you that although we live in a highly advanced society, grief literacy in our country remains rooted in the dark ages. And Nationwide's insensitive Super Bowl ad, still fresh in our cross hairs, serves as a shameful reminder of grief illiteracy on a national scale.

Hope

The Widow or Widower Next Door

$8.95

According to Mary Lee Robinson, author, 50% of happily married couples will become The Widow or Widower Next Door. Mary Lee joined that 50% in February 2013.

Her story is one of many in the book. They had just relocated 11 months prior to their brand new home in the Low Country of the Carolinas. Her husband suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage and was gone at age 63. She hit the wall of loneliness and grieving at 90 mph. It was startling not only to her, but to the other story tellers that most people don’t have the faintest idea what to do for the bereaved. Strangers can be very kind, and familiar folks can be downright cruel.

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Our Newsletter

Thank you for reading this edition of our newsletter. It is our goal to make it a regular publication and to use it to keep you in touch with topics dealing with grief and loss. When it comes to dealing with grief, it can be a challenge to find the resources we need to educate ourselves and our loved ones on what is happening and how to best keep going forward. We will try to keep future issues as informative and interesting as we can. We encourage all of our readers to contact us with thoughts, comments, suggestions or contributions. We would love to hear from you!

We here at The Grief Toolbox understand that needs change as we go from the raw encompassing pain of the first year to the stark reality of the second year, and then to the growth and reinventing ourselves of the middle years to the acceptance and blessing that now coexists with the pain and love that will always be a part of our life. We cannot make your pain go away, nor can we provide answers for you. What we can do is help you to find the tools that you need to work through your grief journey.