Articles by Gary Roe
Four Reasons Why Being Kind to Yourself is Important
This week we had another Zoom Virtual Hangout. In our session, we talked about "How to Be Kind to Yourself While Grieving." "Be kind to yourself." I say that a lot, but what exactly does that mean? In our Zoom session, we began by pointing out four reasons why being...
5 Keys to Helping Others in Grief
I hope you are doing well today. As many of you know, we had another free Zoom Virtual Hangout this week. Our topic was 5 Keys to Helping Others in Grief. This session was so well received that I thought I would send everyone a quick summary of what we covered. While...
When Grief is Raw…
The loss of someone special shakes us. Our hearts are broken, perhaps even shattered. We can feel undone and lost. Grief can be raw at times. When grief is raw, it's hard to function - and impossible to function like we used to. We're not living. We're surviving....
Anyone else feel confused sometimes?
I have a question for you. Do you feel confused sometimes? Confusion is often a part of grief. When we think about it, that makes perfect sense. Our lives have been upended. Our hearts are broken. Our minds are spinning. Everything has changed. We wake up each morning...
A Gentle Warning for Grieving Hearts
Today I'm writing to give us all a gentle warning. We're vulnerable. We're hurting. Perhaps we're even crushed, shattered. We're not thinking straight. How could we? Grief is squeezing us. All this leaves us open to being taken advantage of. Sadly, grieving hearts are...
Grief is like an ongoing storm.
Grief is a storm of sorts. An ongoing, relentless, and sometimes severe storm.Loss creates upheaval and change. Our old normal is shattered. Our sense of safety and security can evaporate.We're sad, anxious, fearful, and angry. We sometimes feel guilty, frustrated,...
COVID Era Loss: A Total Grief Disaster
This is a tough post to write. It will be hard to read. But it's true. We've lived it. We're still living it. COVID. Coronavirus disease. Two-and-a-half years ago, we had never heard of it. Today, it seems to work it's way into almost every conversation. The COVID Era...
Finally, Some Good News
This day is a special one for me - March 16. The date, 3-16, reminds me of John 3:16 in the Bible. For me, it's a powerful fear-not verse: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal...
How Faith Can Make a Difference in Grief
If anyone had told me what the last two years were going to be like, I wouldn't have believed them. I still have trouble believing a lot of what I'm seeing around me in the world. Perhaps you are too. Our own losses combined with the current world upheaval can rattle...
Grief can be sneaky, sneaky, sneaky.
Grief can be sneaky. When I experience a loss. Some grief comes out. Some stays inside. Over time, the grief that stays inside begins to build up. Soon or later, it leaks out (or spews out). When I began working as a hospice chaplain - over a dozen years ago now - I...
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