Going through my phone contacts the other day, I spotted the name and phone number of a dear friend of mine. I smiled at the thought of her and imagined her reassuring voice that greeted me whenever I called and the way she was so interested in the mundane details of my life. How I longed to have one more conversation with her, but she died two years ago from cancer. I found the number I needed and dialed; Donna’s name still securely in my list of contacts. I will never delete her…

Grief is a funny thing. Our mind tells us one thing, but our heart tells a different story. Healing from grief is a process of getting both of them in agreement. We know that our loved one has died, we attended their funeral and ate the casseroles our friends brought over. Yet our heart still expects to see them sitting in their chair when we walk in the door or to hear their voice when the phone rings. We think we see them out of the corner of our eye when we are out in a crowd.…

On mile 23 my legs were ready to admit defeat. Mentally I was still focused on crossing that finish line, but my body was weary in the heat of the day. Walking 26.2 miles is not an easy feat, especially when you are out of shape and overweight. While I trained for this day, nothing prepares you for the actual event.



By mile 11 I had already learned that mental attitude was far more important than physical training. I witnessed people talk themselves out of the race. “I…

This line of a prayer takes on a new meaning when it is our father and not the Heavenly Father we are thinking of as Father’s Day arrives. The man who was there for us – changing our diapers…or not, teaching us to ride a bike…or not, walking us down the aisle…or not. It does not matter what he did or did not do for us, all that matters to our hearts is that he was our dad and we remember him each Father’s Day. It would be wonderful if each of us was given the gift of a father like…

I can still see the Lilies of the Valley that surrounded my grandparents' small patio. They would pop up around the stepping stones every year and announce the arrival of spring. Many Mother’s Days would be spent on that patio enjoying a family dinner. Only rain would chase us inside. Although it has been many years since I spent Mother’s Day there, I cannot help but think of it when Mother’s Day approaches. Love, laughter and family defined the day. This Mother’s Day will be quite…

There is an old song whose lyrics go, “I'll see you in my dreams, hold you in my dreams.” So many who have lost a loved one wish for this to happen. I remember going into work one day and being called to a friend’s office. Her father had died months before and tears were streaming down her face as she told me of her dream the night before. “He was there. My father stood in…

When I am talking with someone who is grieving, the conversation often turns to the signs they have received from their loved one, letting them know they are still around. They range from the subtle to the incredibly direct. 



One woman said she saw her husband approach, felt him kiss her on the cheek and heard his voice telling her that he loved her. Most are not that clear. One woman told me that she had wanted to plant flowers at her husband’s grave. The cemetery’s…

It is said that in order to heal from the pain of grief, we must grow beyond our loved one’s presence in our life and that this means we leave behind the life we once had and move forward to create a new one. It's true that we find our lives have been changed and we will never be the same person we once were. However, we do not heal from leaving our loved ones behind. We heal from bringing them with us. 

Some people are afraid that in moving forward, they…