Friends

The Grief of Estrangement

Education
“I didn’t talk to my daughter for more than five years. I didn’t know what hit me. I kept thinking about her and wondering where she was. My granddaughter was born, and I never knew. We are trying to ‘fix’ things now, but it’s different than before. I still miss what we used to have.”…

Hope Heals Your Heart, and Your Mind

Education
Finding hope while suffering might sound at first like the platitudes we get tired of hearing. “Look on the bright side!” or “At least you still have your health!” are not the silver linings well-intentioned people think they are—not when struggles like loss, depression, and anxiety have such a life-altering impact. But hope doesn’t mean…

Are you living for your resume, or your eulogy?

Education
You may have heard of the difference between the resume virtues and the eulogy virtues. The resume virtues are skills and accomplishments in the marketplace. What prestigious school did you attend? What corporate rank did you reach? How hard did you work?  The eulogy virtues are deeper. They are the qualities people will talk about…

Four Ways a Legacy Mindset Will Make Your Life More Meaningful

Education
How can thinking about your legacy bring more meaning to your life now? Most of us probably don’t think we need to consider our legacies until we’re older, wiser, and have accomplished many of the things we dream of in life. We think of a legacy as a gift or inheritance, or something extraordinary that…

A Story of Choice and Community After Loss

uncategorized , Voices of Hope
When things seem so out of control, what do we do?  This is the question that everyone who experiences loss must face, and as Judy Pedersen found while leading a grief support group, the first step can come from the most unexpected places. One young mom came in who had recently lost her husband. They…