Posts in Grief and the Holidays
Parallel Tracks

The Holidays bring happiness, cheer, joy, and a lot of other words to describe them. There are also some words we don’t like to associate with all the festivities; sadness, hurt, longing, anxiety, anger, dread. Sometimes the good words run on parallel tracks with the grief words during the holidays. If you have faced an empty chair at the table for the Holidays you know that many times the things that have traditionally brought feelings of joy and happiness can also bring feelings just as intense on the other side of the spectrum...

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Why are the Holidays so Hard?

We are supposed to have warm fuzzy feelings during the holidays, but sometimes we are instead filled with dread. There are few universal “right” or “wrong” answers for the holidays as we grieve. However, there is one answer that I think is very nearly universal… “No, you are not going crazy, you are grieving.” My hope in writing this is that you may find that though your holidays are different, they are survivable and to some degree, meaningful...

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Grief and the Holidays

For many people this time of year bring a great deal of joy and excitement. The leaves have changed and fallen, temps begin to drop, and evidence of the holiday season is witnessed as homes are adorned with lights, trees are placed in homes and decorated, and every store you walk into has some sort of Christmas music playing in the background. But for some, this time of year can’t end sooner...

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