To be bereaved by suicide is widely accepted as being one of the most difficult bereavements to cope with. There are so many unanswered questions and endless possibilities for blaming yourself. To be bereaved by the suicide of one of your children is exponentially worse. As a parent you want the best for your children.…
It would seem that money would be the last of someone’s concerns when a loved one has died. The heartbreak, the sadness, the loneliness, the rollercoaster of emotions, the acute pain of simply missing them is enough to bear, surely? If you are someone with tens of thousands of pounds or more in the bank,…
“Resilient grieving” is a helpful book by Lucy Hone who was bereaved of her daughter and two friends in a car accident. In the chapter, “Facing the future”, she writes how identifying your loved one’s Giveaway, as well as your own, can be very useful in finding your way forward. So what is this Giveaway?…
There’s a big country park across the road from our home. An interesting place with forest areas and ponds and hill. There’s a newly rebuilt visitor centre although it’s not open yet. T Next to that vacant space, there is a small children’s playground. I walked by it the other day. It didn’t look as…
Another post on the theme of grief as a journey. Living in the present might be the only way to cope with the feelings of pessimism that often overshadow us in our grief. Photos and story of a walk on the Dane Valley Way. “Ultreia!” is one of the familiar greetings on the Camino de…
Our recent Living with Loss pilgrimage walk (completed successfully – more detailed story coming soon) provided abundant illustrations of the journey of grief. Walking as a group with an age range of 35 years (42 to 76), as well as a range of health limitations and abilities, there was also a range of walking speeds.…
(An update of an older post, for the sake of new people who come across this blog.) Grief can leave us feeling wretched. There is an acute pain when someone you love dies, a pain that can be felt physically on occasion. On the long journey of adjustment – becoming accustomed to living life without…
As difficult as it may be to sleep during the first shocking days since a bereavement, problems of disturbed sleep may carry on long through the months and years of grief. Not being able to fall asleep, not being able to stay sleep or having troubled sleep are common. It’s really important to find a…
A Valley Journal 
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