Baby steps. Open your eyes. That’s one. Get out of bed. That’s two. Breathe. That’s three. This is how it has to be in the beginning. Gentle and unassuming because grief is not. The cycle is exhausting, it tries to ...
“Mommy, there are pilots at the door.” Those seven words, those simple syllables, they changed everything. When I came to, I made the necessary phone calls, at first it came out as a whisper and ...
Lately I have been sucked into a very intense grief storm. Every time I think I can breathe again, another wave comes crashing in. Even after reaching out and utilizing my resources, ...
Another Coping Mechanism: Salt Lamps By: Jill Hochman Board Member Hope for Widows Foundation Have you ever seen a salt lamp? They look like this: Some people think they are beautiful. Some people (including me) think they are ugly. ...
I instantly recognized the masturbating woman in my husband’s saved email file. I could hear her children playing in the next room. I could see her wedding photos on the wall behind the bed she was lying (and sometimes bent over) on. I admired her bed frame as she began moaning my husband’s name. ...
Zentangle art work above by author, Jill Hochman I used to doodle in class or in meetings. Well, it turns out doodling is actually helpful for concentration and stress relief. I was doodling to help me understand, stay focused, and ...
My husband passed away the Monday before Thanksgiving. It was also the week of my ten-year high school reunion. I wasn’t thankful for anything, and I wasn’t going to rekindle friendships with anyone. Instead, I found myself talking to the ...
“You should really consider coming to Bereavement Yoga,” My grief counselor suggested. She hung on the word 'really' for an uncomfortable amount of time while grinning. I finished explaining to her my mixed emotions about my upcoming move. My husband ...
As a widowed woman who is ten years out and considers herself a 'veteran', I thought I knew all there was to grief. How arrogant of me. I had grieved my husband's death, or so I thought. I was there ...