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 mid-week retreat in the Scottish countryside – Hawick in the borders, not far from Carlisle. Whitchester is a lovely quiet property with comfortable rooms, a great meeting room, an art room, a conservatory, and excellent home cooked meals with home-grown vegetables, set in glorious…
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…
It’s coming up to November 2nd – All Soul’s Day – a day when many of us will visit loved one’s graves to remember them, although in some traditions this might have taken place on October 31st. (“All Hallow’s Eve”, more commonly referred to as Halloween.) As Wikipedia helpfully explains, “All Souls’ Day commemorates All Souls, the Holy…
Having a special place to grieve and remember is important for many people. A special place marks our loved one’s space and time in history. It is a focal point that we can visit; a place where we might talk to them, pray for them, reflect. It’s a place for remembrance. The special place doesn’t…
