by Gary Roe | Courageous Living, Death and dying, Decision-making, Grief and Loss, Grief recovery, Healing, Loss of a Child, Purpose and meaning, Relationships, Suffering and Pain
“I’m not the same person. Neither is Dave. Who am I now? Who are we?” asked Alexandra. Alexandra and Dave’s son Duke was their only child. He was a talkative kid, with an active imagination. He was the superhero of the neighborhood, with a...
by Gary Roe | Courageous Living, Decision-making, Depression, Emotional pain, Families and grief, Family relationships, Fear, Grief and Loss, Grief recovery, Healing, Hope, Loneliness, Purpose and meaning, Relationships, Service, Suffering and Pain, Worry
2018 was quite a year. First, there were our own personal losses. Deaths. Separations. Estrangements. Illnesses. Rejections. Crushed hopes. The list could go on and on. Then there was the world at large. Political unrest, immigration challenges, market fluctuations,...
by Gary Roe | Courageous Living, Decision-making, Depression, Emotional pain, Faith, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief and Loss, Grief recovery, Healing, Hope, Loss of a Child, Loss of a friend, Loss of a parent, Loss of a sibling, loss of a spouse, Love, Purpose and meaning, Relationships, Sadness, Suffering and Pain, Worry
I don’t know about you, but I’m sad today. Six friends of mine died this year, including a young neighbor across the street. Two other friends lost teen sons to suicide. Our family’s beloved optometrist was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s...
by Gary Roe | Anxiety, Death and dying, Faith, Fear, Grief and Loss, Healing from the past, Hospice stories, Loneliness, Peace, Physical illness, Purpose and meaning, Relationships, Stress Management, Suffering and Pain
We’re made for relationship. No wonder loss hurts. It crushes our hearts. As a hospice chaplain, I believe one of our greatest fears is feeling alone, left behind, or abandoned. I’ve felt it myself, and I’ve heard it from the hearts of hundreds of others. Steven’s...
by Gary Roe | Anger management, Anxiety, Depression, divorce recovery, Emotional pain, Families and grief, Family relationships, Forgiveness, Grief and Loss, Grief recovery, Loss of a Child, Loss of a friend, Loss of a parent, Loss of a sibling, loss of a spouse, Purpose and meaning, Relationships, Sadness, Spiritual suffering, Stress Management, Suffering and Pain, Suicidal thoughts
When loss hits, our world changes. This includes our relationships. People around us tend to over-promise but under-deliver in terms of supporting us in meaningful ways. This leads to more loss. From the Grieving Heart: This would be easier if it weren’t...
by Gary Roe | Courageous Living, Emotional pain, Families and grief, Grief and Loss, Grief recovery, Healing, Honesty and Transparency, Hope, Loss of a Child, Loss of a friend, Loss of a parent, Loss of a sibling, loss of a spouse, Purpose and meaning, Spiritual questioning, Stress Management, Suffering and Pain, Worry
Life has changed. Loss has invaded. Grief surfaces everywhere. And yet, everyone around us just wants us to get better – fast. From the Grieving Heart: I feel like a robot. I’m going through the motions. I don’t want to go anywhere or do...