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 | Decision-making, Depression, Emotional pain, Families and grief, Grief and Loss, Grief recovery, Holiday grief, Loneliness, Loss of a Child, Loss of a friend, Loss of a parent, Loss of a sibling, loss of a spouse, Love, Peace, Stress Management, Suffering and Pain
Christmas. It can be wonderful. It can be tough. For most of us, there is pain associated with this time of year. We’re all missing someone – probably several someones. Our hearts yearn. Old wounds and losses resurface, and we feel the pain. I know there...
by Gary Roe | Courageous Living, Death and dying, Emotional pain, Families and grief, Family relationships, Grief and Loss, Grief recovery, Holiday grief, Hope, Loss of a Child, Loss of a friend, Loss of a parent, Loss of a sibling, loss of a spouse, Relationships, Sadness, Stress Management, Suffering and Pain
Sal and Mildred called themselves December people. They were both born in December and were married on Christmas Eve. “We partied all month long!” Mildred said. When Mildred passed in early December, Sal wasn’t surprised. “She waited until our party month. Now she’s...
by Gary Roe | Anniversaries, Depression, Emotional pain, Families and grief, Family relationships, Grief and Loss, Grief recovery, Holiday grief, Loss of a Child, Loss of a friend, Loss of a parent, Loss of a sibling, loss of a spouse, Stress Management, Suffering and Pain
Holidays can hurt, especially when we’re missing someone. How do we celebrate when our hearts are broken? Where’s the Grinch when you need him? Hurting for the holidays Is it okay to hurt during the holidays? Absolutely. Here are three big reasons why holidays...
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...