GRIT

At the Heart of It Sometimes sharing about our grief with others can end up feeling like a competition—who has had the “worst” experience, or who will “win” by giving the “right” answers about how to grieve? This is common and can happen in a variety of ways, and it’s often unintentional. The way to…

Whose grief is worse: the doctor who loses her patient, or the family who loses their beloved dog?  Which situation is harder: a long, debilitating illness, or a sudden accident?  What community suffers more: the neighborhood devastated by a hurricane, or the town shocked by a mass shooting?  I hear comparisons like these all the…

“You were so lucky to have her for so long.”  Martha was 75 years old when her mother, Rose, died. Rose had just turned 101. Martha’s friends comforted her by saying how lucky Rose was to live so long, and how lucky Martha was to have that time with her. But Martha did not feel…

In the early days of my working life, one of my colleagues returned from bereavement leave. Her husband had just passed away, and it was her first day back at work. I froze when I saw her walking down the hallway. I wanted her to know I was there for her, but I was so…

When we think of who is working on the front lines of grief and loss, we picture hospice nurses, firefighters, and counselors. We imagine doctors and first responders. But do you think of teachers? In the early days of my career, I never would have put grief work and teachers together. Now, teachers are some…

If you’ve been following us over the last year, you know that we’ve been tackling the mental health crisis in schools with our new SEL-inspired program, GRIT™. But you may not know of all the exciting ways that GRIT™ is growing in 2024! We will be expanding our research team, piloting GRIT™ in more school…

Thousands Receive Grief Support in 2023 2023 was a successful, meaningful year for Hearts of Hope as we continued to spread hope and healing through therapeutic art practices and grief support resources, education, and counseling support.  There were many highlights this past year, and some touched the hearts of others in extraordinary ways: We created…

The room at Baxter Brewing Company in Lewiston, Maine got quiet as Diane Sarna, President of Hearts of Hope Newtown, stood to read a letter from the Newtown Ambulance and Police Departments. “Our hearts were broken when we learned of the tragic events in your community,” Diane read to the dozens of Lewiston first responders…

Life today is overwhelming, complicated, and changing too quickly to keep up with. The future of work is changing as questions about remote jobs, labor movements, and the use of advanced AI create a new economic landscape. Our planet is getting hotter, and natural disasters are more frequent. We don’t have enough housing. It’s hard…

Earlier this year, United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy advised that loneliness is a public health epidemic that causes lasting harm to physical and mental health. We are missing out on important social connections, and so are our kids.  “1 in 2 adults report measurable levels of loneliness, and the group that’s actually most lonely…