Creating conversations about loss

Grief

BY ZACHARY MASERAUGUST 22, 2021 07:00 AM Nature doesn’t refuse itself, not like human nature does, anyway. For example, the tree does not pretend to be anything but a tree, and it does not refuse being the tree that it is. It graciously accepts the storm no matter the loss […]

Finding the ‘Joy in the Mourning’

25 Aug, 2021 in Death and Dying / Grief / Hope / Remembrance / Uncategorized by LTLWYS Admin

BY MARY BOUTSELISJULY 04, 2021 07:00 AM My mother was a sturdy soul. She was of German descent, born and raised in a farming community in Michigan. Her motto was, “If anyone is still working, you don’t sit down.” When she came to visit us later in her life, she […]

Long Journey Presented New Opportunity to Meet Change and Loss

25 Aug, 2021 in Death and Dying / Grief / Hope / Suffering by LTLWYS Admin

BY RHONDA STERNMAY 23, 2021 07:00 AM Experiencing a loss can leave us feeling lost — fragmented until we find ways to recreate our lives and to feel whole again. Creating through the arts can help us to find a source of energy within ourselves to help us be present […]

Learning to Live: How Creating Through the Arts Can Help ...

25 Jun, 2021 in Death and Dying / Grief / Hope by LTLWYS Admin

BY THE REV. CAROL THOMAS CISSELMAY 02, 2021 07:00 AM Tuesday, April 13 was an important anniversary. It marked one year and one month since my congregation, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County (UUFCC) “left the building.” On March 13, 2020, my board of trustees, acting with strength, an […]

Learning to Live: After a Year of Change, Pandemic Continues ...

25 Jun, 2021 in Death and Dying / Grief / Hope / Remembrance by LTLWYS Admin

BY REV. DEAN LINDSEYMARCH 28, 2021 07:00 AM I thought I should tell my story. It was so early in the pandemic, and I was in the unenviable position of being the second confirmed case of COVID-19 in Centre County. I’d been in New Orleans for a visit right when […]

‘I was there.’ Reflections from One of Centre County’s First ...

26 Apr, 2021 in Grief / Hope / Suffering by LTLWYS Admin

BY LEARNING TO LIVE STORYTELLERSFEBRUARY 28, 2021 07:00 AM The stage is empty. Typically, people would be gathering this month to hear a group of local individuals share stories from their lives at “The State of the Story: Learning to Live” event. For the past five years, the month of […]

Storytellers Reflect on Sharing Tales of Love, Loss and Transformation

2 Mar, 2021 in Belonging / Depression / Grief / Hope / Remembrance / Storytelling / Suffering / Transitions by LTLWYS Admin

BY RABBI DAVID E. OSTRICHJANUARY 24, 2021 07:00 AM There is a line in Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Ernest” that presents one of the most frustrating aspects of reality. The governess, Miss Prism, is talking about a three-volume novel she once wrote. Her student, Cecily, is delighted. “How […]

Making Sense of Bad Things Happening to Good People

26 Jan, 2021 in Grief / Hope / Storytelling / Suffering by LTLWYS Admin

BY EVELYN WALDDECEMBER 27, 2020 07:00 AM I love winter! When I proclaim that to others they often respond, “really? I despise winter!” They point out how cold and dark and dreary it is in winter. My love for winter goes back to my childhood. When snow would appear, I’d […]

How ‘Wintering’ Can Help You Reflect and Explore

29 Dec, 2020 in Grief / Remembrance / Transitions by LTLWYS Admin

BY CHRISTIAN BRADYNOVEMBER 22, 2020 08:00 AM Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt adapted from the book “Beautiful and Terrible Things: A Christian Struggle with Suffering, Grief, and Hope” by Christian Brady published in September. Visit ChristianBrady.com for more information. Hope is the very substance of the means of our […]

A Christian Struggle with Suffering, Grief and Hope

1 Dec, 2020 in Grief / Hope / Suffering by LTLWYS Admin

BY MARY CURRANSEPTEMBER 27, 2020 09:00 AM Let’s face it, no one looks forward to planning a funeral or memorial service. Three years ago after the death of my husband, I was faced with just that task. Even when death is expected, as his was following a steep decline after […]

Mourning in a Virtual World

29 Sep, 2020 in Grief / Remembrance / Storytelling by LTLWYS Admin