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Sarah became a widow when the youngest of her four children was six weeks old. Her experiences have brought her to a place where she now offers grief support and more through her book and courses that she is setting up. Rather than sinking into complete despair, she invites a 'healthy' grieving option of awareness and integration of the double-sided coin of Grief and Love. I realize that for some the idea of 'healthy' grief might feel offensive. Depends on where you land with regard to language and how many of the multitude of platitudes and dismissive messages you've had to endure. I find that Sarah's approach is compassionate and also an opportunity for some ease between the waves of unrelenting grief and loss. She suggests ways to bring balance back into our lives and offers a doorway that we can, if we choose, walk through. Give her a look see and perhaps you will agree. Her main site is www.sarahnannen.com Here is the link to multiple of her resources: https://linktr.ee/sarahnannen?fbclid=IwAR2zHXMasa1S_H0Cpj8acmgaLcZ_QTPF3iAejH7JeArJPqs1ehM4OJQ8j8Q

Someone I know had someone close die recently. They asked me why people thought it was ok to ask if the passing had been peaceful. These are NOT the words used...rather the question. The loved one had died from a ravaging cancer and it was a brutal end. My friend said that the response should have been, "NO! It was brutal and awful and painful and it was NOT peaceful!!" But....non-grievers don't want to hear that....they want to be comforted in their own fears or worries and their own stories about death and do not imagine how it sounds to someone who sat and watched the hard hard end come while their heart broke into a million pieces. Others I know...from all my connections since David died have shared their own painful experiences....words spoken thoughtlessly though with good intention quite often. (I have a personal bias that says that good intentions with regard to grief are not enough, we need to be more thought-full) : "It's the same as divorce. Get over it. Stop crying!" (Divorce is a grief...AND it is NOT the same when someone dies...don't compare!) "He would want you to be happy." (And you know this because???????) "Others have had more than one family member die. You only had one." (Oh, excuse me! I forgot that others have MORE pain than me. How selfish of me to grieve _______!) "Hold tight to your memories." (Sounds great right? However early grief and memories usually = pain) "You're young, you can marry again (have another child, etc)" (And that will make up for the loss how?) "I can't stand to see you cry so I can't be around you." (Yeah....ok....gonna have to file you under "not a friend") "You're just so sad all the time." (Imagine that! My ____ died and I'm sad!) "So...you're back to work. Guess you're ok now." (Well I got only got a week of bereavement time so I didn't have a choice) "I can't be there for you because you're just so empty." (Wow! My job to fill YOU up huh?) "You know, there ARE five stages of grief!" (Um....yup....for the dying and even then NOT the original intention...but more on that later) "The sooner you accept this, the better off you'll be." (Really?!?!? Where is it w