Creating conversations about loss

Grief

BY ELIZABETH BRADY Last Sunday, the Penn State men’s soccer team was ready to open its Big Ten season against Maryland. As the fans arrived at Jeffrey Field, my husband and daughter and I lined up beneath the bleachers along with our late son Mack’s soccer team, the Celtics. We […]

Four Years after Mack Brady’s Death, Visiting the ‘What Ifs’

November 14, 2017 in Grief / Remembrance by LTLWYS Admin

BY CASEY GOODALL There is no formula for grieving. Everyone does it in his/her own time and in his/her own way. The most important point is that we do it. Grief has its way with us whether we pay attention to it or not. For me, there is no other […]

Grief Is a Journey You Take One Day at a ...

September 5, 2017 in Belonging / Grief / Remembrance by LTLWYS Admin

BY EVELYN WALD During the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, Learning to Live: What’s Your Story? sponsored a Community Remembrance Creation event. The mission of our collaborative partnership is to encourage people to share their stories of how they are learning to live with loss â€” loss, grief, growth […]

Community Members Use Art to Express Grief

September 5, 2017 in Belonging / Grief / Remembrance / Storytelling by LTLWYS Admin

BY BRENDA OYLER KIM LINKEDIN GOOGLE+ PINTEREST REDDIT PRINT ORDER REPRINT OF THIS STORY I was 38 years old when my brother died suddenly. At the time of his death, I was living in another state more than eight hours away from my family. I will never forget receiving the […]

Each Loss Is Unique

July 17, 2017 in Grief / Remembrance / Storytelling by LTLWYS Admin

BY JACKI HUNT The power of storytelling entered my life when National Public Radio introduced Story Corps in 2003. The stories of everyday people unfolding through interviews by a friend or relative became an important part of my week. The power of those interviews was magnified thousands of times by […]

Storytelling Has the Power to Heal

June 22, 2017 in Grief / Storytelling by LTLWYS Admin

BY DIANA MALCOM AND BEN WIDEMAN We live in a community with strong seasonal patterns that have nothing to do with weather. The seasons of this big university plopped down in the middle of the State College area defines much of what the patterns of life are like for all […]

Soon-to-Be Graduates Reflect on Transition

June 22, 2017 in Grief / Transitions by LTLWYS Admin

BY WAYNE CROSS I had the whole world in my hands, and then it crumbled to pieces. All because of my mind, my imagination or, as I like to refer to it, the beast. I was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in second grade. I was also diagnosed with […]

Gaining Control Over ‘The Beast’

June 22, 2017 in Grief by LTLWYS Admin

BY KATIE KOSTOHRYZ If it weren’t for the loss of my sister, Kristin, I wouldn’t be the counselor and professor of counseling I am today. My life’s work is how I choose to love every day through loss. On that summer day years ago, I lost not only my sister […]

The Loving Never Stops

March 20, 2017 in Grief / Remembrance by LTLWYS Admin

If you missed Elizabeth Brady’s story at “Loving Through It,” you can read her essay here: http://www.opentohope.com/the-downstairs-thief/. Thank you, Elizabeth, for beautifully sharing your hope with us!

The Downstairs Thief

March 20, 2017 in Grief / Remembrance / Uncategorized by LTLWYS Admin

BY JACKIE HOOK For many, today is a day that involves gifts. As members of the Learning to Live: What’s Your Story? Initiative, we want to share some of the gifts we’ve received through our journeys from loss. Even though we’ve experienced loss, we’ve found gifts along the way and […]

Loss Can Bring Unexpected Gifts

January 17, 2017 in Grief / Transitions by LTLWYS Admin