Category Archives: bereavement

The greatest gift you’ll get this year is what you already have

Posted on December 4, 2014 by

Usually at this time of year I publish my top ten tips of how to get through Christmas when you have lost a loved one. This year I have been moved to take a different view. If you want to … Continue reading →

Posted in bereavement, Christmas, gratitude, Grief | 4 Comments

Torn between remembering and forgetting

Posted on November 2, 2014 by

This is the conversation that goes on in my head quite regularly. “I feel OK, today quite content really. I feel quite happy, life is good.” “But how can you possibly be happy? Your son is dead. You can’t possibly … Continue reading →

Posted in bereavement, Grief, guilt, Healing, Loss | 13 Comments

A bright shining star

Posted on September 7, 2014 by

So I have had a bit of ‘writer’s block’ this summer, and haven’t written much at all. I was prompted to write something when Robin Williams died and this week I have been touched by the story of a grieving … Continue reading →

Posted in bereavement, Grief, guilt, Healing, Loss, parents, suicide | 2 Comments

Out of tragedy can come change: the other legacy left by Robin Williams

Posted on August 14, 2014 by

This week has been a sad week for many fans who loved Robin Williams from afar, who loved his humour, his films and his spirit. It has been an especially difficult week for those of us who have lost loved … Continue reading →

Posted in bereavement, gratitude, guilt, suicide | 2 Comments

Is acceptance the key to recovery?

Posted on February 16, 2014 by

I read a great quote the other day from Michael J Fox, an American actor who seemingly had everything but was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease at the age of 30. “Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that … Continue reading →

Posted in bereavement, Grief, Healing, Loss, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Will I ever get over the guilt?

Posted on February 4, 2014 by

‘GUILT. Guilt comes from a mistaken belief that we could have, or should have, prevented the death from happening, or from regret over irreconciled aspects of the relationship. In truth, we all do the best we can given our human … Continue reading →

Posted in bereavement, Grief, guilt, Healing, Loss, parents, suicide | 75 Comments

Can we separate the ‘death’ from the life?

Posted on January 26, 2014 by

 I had a ‘suicide’ drawer in my dresser. When Toby died I accumulated all manner of upsetting papers and documents. The first was an ‘Interim certificate of death’. Imagine going to open the post and seeing ‘Toby Thorn’ ‘Asphyxiation’ and … Continue reading →

Posted in bereavement, Grief, Healing, Loss, suicide | 6 Comments