The countdown has well and truly started. In just one month’s time, I’ll be walking the Camino – The Way – a pilgrimage route starting in Porto and finishing in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Together with my friend Margaret, we hope to walk all 280 kms, all being well. My main motive for walking…
Recently I gave an interview to a magazine regarding the ‘Living with Loss’ project and how it came about. This is something I often reflect upon, especially since the project has grown beyond anything I could have imagined. Of course it all starts with my children. This is a bit more of my story and…
It seems to be a time of year for remembering. All Soul’s Day, All Saints Day and Remembrance Sunday are around the corner. “Good people are remembered long after they are gone” the Bible tells us. (Proverbs 10:7 CEV) What is goodness but love? What is grief but a continuation of love? I enjoy that…
As the parent of a child who died an avoidable death, we might be highly motivated to campaign for change. This is an appropriate way of honouring our child’s memory.
But we should be aware that the heights of passion and defiance that are energising us now will likely be followed by low times.
Whether we “succeed” or not in our campaign , ultimately we are faced with the sadness of our child’s absence. Finding how to live without them is the challenge we now face.
Today is International Women’s Day and in recognition, this post is dedicated to the particular issues that many women face as they grieve. It is not meant to minimise, compare or dismiss the issues facing men, but it is a post about women, by a woman. I write this as a bereaved mother, sister and…
Why would someone create a 40th birthday card with a little teddy bear? I don’t know what the designer was thinking of, but this card was ideal for me to buy for Pax to celebrate his 40th on 3rd January 2019. Pax, my son, the little boy who died at barely 3 1/2 years old,…
A post about judgemental attitudes towards our loved one, particularly when their life choices did not match expectations or wishes. Criticism could come from outside – from other people – or from within ourselves. Managing our grief in this situation can be complex. I recently participated in a very useful conference organised by Bereaved Parents…
(A personal commentary about the challenges of being a bereaved parent, mother, father) Another day, another loch. We are almost at the end of our two week summer break in Scotland. It has been a lazy “be kind to yourself” time, with the simplest of meals and the simplest of pleasures – amazing scenery, long…
