Creating conversations about loss

Hope

BY JACKI HUNT NOVEMBER 27, 2022 7:00 AM My mother was the only one of her six siblings to go to college. Although she didn’t get past the second year, having married my father and then given birth to me 13 months later, she remained curious about the world, and […]

‘In the Garden’ and Mom’s final words

December 19, 2022 in Death and Dying / Grief / Hope by LTLWYS Admin

BY EVELYN WALDOCTOBER 23, 2022 7:00 AM I remember as a child the anxiety I often felt when it was time to play sports. Two children were chosen as captains and picked their teams one person at a time. In the end, there would be a few of us remaining, […]

Embracing all of who we are can bring hope, healing, ...

October 23, 2022 in Belonging / Grief / Hope / Transitions by LTLWYS Admin

BY MADDY ARTHUR SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 6:00 AM Sometimes, when people ask me where my dad lives, I say “Western Massachusetts!” In reality, he lives (read, exists) in a jar on my desk. The day my sister brought me his ashes was the first time we had lived together since […]

Grief you can’t escape — and don’t want to

October 23, 2022 in Grief / Hope / Remembrance by LTLWYS Admin

BY JOHN VALENTIK MAY 22, 2022 6:00 AM June 19 is Father’s Day. This will mark a milestone in my life, as it’ll be my first Father’s Day as a father and my first Father’s Day without my fathers. I lost my stepfather to lung cancer on March 31, 2020. […]

Approaching a Father’s Day of firsts

August 21, 2022 in Death and Dying / Grief / Hope by LTLWYS Admin

BY JANE P. BUTLER FEBRUARY 27, 2022 6:00 AM My mind is the fog on a rainy day protecting me from knowing the extent of the grief yet to come. I am in a trance with a list to finish. Checking off each item keeps sadness hidden. When all is […]

Nature’s healing promise

February 28, 2022 in Death and Dying / Grief / Hope / Remembrance by LTLWYS Admin

BY ELIZABETH AND CHRISTIAN BRADYJANUARY 16, 2022 6:00 AM My back was sore as I scrambled off the floor and the pile of wrapped presents to slide onto the couch and pick up my glass of port. I stretched and observed to Elizabeth that it has been a really challenging […]

9 years after Mack Brady’s death, grief changes, celebration of ...

January 18, 2022 in Belonging / Death and Dying / Grief / Hope / Remembrance by LTLWYS Admin

BY EVELYN WALDNOVEMBER 28, 2021 7:00 AM I remember watching a show hosted by Art Linkletter (my age is showing!) called “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” He would ask questions and in their open, innocent way, children would respond. Their responses brought laughter and sometimes tears. For more than 17 […]

What Children Teach Us About Grief, and What They Need ...

December 8, 2021 in Death and Dying / Grief / Hope / Remembrance by LTLWYS Admin

BY LAURI PERMAN SEPTEMBER 26, 2021 6:00 AM “How long does grief last?,” a recent widow asked, struggling with the pain of her loss. In response I shared this story. I was 15, sitting cross-legged on the floor near my grandfather in his heavy wooden rocker, when I learned he […]

How Long Does Grief Last?

September 27, 2021 in Death and Dying / Grief / Hope / Remembrance by LTLWYS Admin

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’

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

BY CHRISTY A. CLAPPERUPDATED JULY 25, 2021 09:35 AM When our daughter was little she used to ask from the back seat of the car if we were, “closer to the front or the back” when making long trips. It meant, were we closer to our destination or closer to […]

Moving ‘Closer to the Front’ with Each Passing Second

August 25, 2021 in Hope / Transitions by LTLWYS Admin