Crisis Support

My mum died suddenly as a result of a terrible car accident in Australia. I was in New Zealand. It was a Friday and I just got back from work when that fateful telephone call came. My dad spoke on…
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The simple thing to remember at a funeral is who you are there for and whose memory you are there to honor and pay respects to. This being said any past aggravations should be put aside and you should always…
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Should we Mourn the dead Should we? Why? Should we mourn for the dead? Who benefits? Mourning is selfish and very one sided. A loved one passes, we weep and fall apart. We can’t believe they are gone. Reality is…
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There are a good few reasons why funeral processions move more slowly than normal cars, which of course are all reflections of aspects of the funeral itself, and how the attendants are likely to be feeling on the day. The…
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Suicide is never justified. To say that it is okay to commit suicide is to say that hope is gone. As long as there is a God, there will always be hope for something better. Despite the fact that suicide…
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Death is never an easy thing to deal with. Harder still when it is your flesh and blood. A parent who is grieving the death of a child has a hard road to travel. It is hard to see a…
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The most valuable thing you can do when trying to assist someone with the grief and loss of a loved one, is to have the ability to become a chameleon and change your role, according to what the individual needs…
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When you get old and retire, you always take with you the memories of people who’ve touched your life and some of the moments you’ve shared. Dealing with grief of associates started very early, and several are still very clear…
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My best friend of 50 years lost her only child/daughter at the hands of murderers who did not want her to testify against them in court about ongoing drug activities in the neighborhood where she lived. She was shot in…
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No one should have to experience a life altering event alone. The death of a loved one changes one world, and sometimes our perspective on the world almost immediately. Life assumptions are shattered as we face the reality of the…
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Regret: Father’s Day Why can’t we know when it’s our last chance to say good-bye? Last June, we told Dad on the phone, “Sorry we can’t be there today for Father’s Day, but we’ll come for sure next year.” “No…
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Grief is a very personal emotion and different people will mourn in different ways. There are arguably few things more painful in life, particularly for parents, than losing a child. Many people who must undergo this traumatic experience completely shut…
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Who could possibly know more about the wishes of a dying person than that person himself? Who could know which songs were utmost in his mind? Who could be better informed about the facts of his life for the obituary?…
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I have seen the pain of a dying loved one when my sister was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of forty-six. She had a loving husband and three children in their twenties and she was the center of…
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A grieving co-worker can create an ultra sensitive workplace. To help and empathise can be tricky; there is no absolute answer. Everyone wants to help but can’t find the right words to say. Many nervously try to say the right…
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I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends. For me, there is a kinship with my girlfriends that is as deep as my own family. We navigate the treacherous rivers of life together, each of us taking turns…
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There is a simple answer to the question of suicide being a cowardly way out. The answer is no. Being a suicide survivor from the time I was in the first grade, suicide will forever be something defining in my…
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Death is something that touches all of us at times, and trying to comfort someone who has lost a loved one is never easy. When the grieving person is a co-worker it can be even more difficult because you can’t…
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No, not at all. My grandmother just died in June of this year. We were very close, and we all knew that her death was imminent. A couple years ago, we all signed a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) request –…
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If we do not mourn for the dead, we do not value the lives of those we have lost. If we do not mourn, we fail to respect the contributions of those who are gone. If we do not mourn,…
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Depending on how you look at it. Suicide is usually a result of depression, which is a mental illness. Sometimes people do not even know they have depression until it is too late. People that are contemplating suicide usually feel…
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Lets face it, this life can get unbelievably tough at times. I’m sure that many of you have in fact yourself considered the taboo “s” word at one time or another in your life. I’ll be honest, I know I…
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Grief is a psychological response to a sudden or drastic change in life. Whether a person loses a loved one to death, or divorce, or loses a job, or a beloved pet, grief can be the result. Any life situation…
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Dealing with death is never easy. I have lost both my parents; my mom at a very early age and my dad when I was a teenager. These losses were significant but I can say that I was lucky to…
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A loved one’s death is often the most difficult and painful times of our lives. In most religions, death is not supposed to be seen as a sad time but is to be a time of celebration and recognition that…
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Death before life: Thoughts on miscarriage Having had a successful pregnancy first time round, I thought having a new addition to our family would be just as easy second time round. How wrong I was! After about 7 unsuccessful months…
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Suicide is never justified. People who try to commit suicide are attention seeking and thinking of no one but themselves. It never crosses their minds how utterly selfish they are being; they might think that it is the best thing…
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I consider it a sad thing that many people have not realized that the life they have is not theirs but was given them by God, the creator of all things. God, the owner of life has not given anybody…
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Grief is not always a negative emotion. It can serve as a catalyst for growth when it is harnessed to provide the momentum to seek answers. Grieving is a living experience, and an opportunity to move from pain to growth….
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Linda, I will miss you Less than one year ago, just before Labor Day weekend my mother called and told me words that struck fear and panic in my heart, “Linda has cancer”. We were all aware of the painful…
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