It is not trite to say that our loved ones are with us no matter where we are, but there is a certain geography to many people’s grief. If you live across the road from the cemetery where your loved one is laid to rest or their ashes are scattered, then the coronavirus travel restrictions…
This post is another side to the subject of memorialising. It looks at those who have very good reasons for not wanting to keep on remembering. Living with loss does not only mean coping with the death of a person. It can also mean coping with the loss of what a relationship should have been.…
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…
A personal post. It is May 27th, and exactly 37 years since Pax, my little son, died aged 3 in a hospital in Bhopal, India. In less than 4 weeks, it is my daughter Catherine s birthday. She is turning 39, something I find hard to conceive as she was just weeks off her 31st…
This is Part 3 of a series of posts on “Walking the Way”, referring to the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain. This is only partly about the Camino, but mostly relates to the journey through grief. For Part 1 of this series, visit: Walking the Way – Part 1 If you read…
“The Way” often refers to the popular network of pilgrimage routes in Spain, the Camino de Santiago, that lead to the Compostela to Santiago (Cathedral of St James). That is more or less the subject of this series of posts. Let’s start at the beginning. Have I walked the Way? The French Camino (about 700…
The next Living with Loss event open to all is a weekend retreat at Penhurst Christian Centre in Sussex (25-27 October) – only one room left, but additional space for day guests. Then there’s a week event at Lee Abbey in Devon (4-8 November). Places are limited and our events at Lee Abbey in particular…
I’ve had this delicate ornament for at least 24 years – I can’t recall exactly. Amazingly, the tiny decorative sticks of clove still have a scent, although obviously not as fresh as they were. This small item was a gift from a friend, a colleague, actually my work supervisor from long ago. I probably wouldn’t…
