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I’ll See You On the Windward Side of the Mountain!
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” We all know that a mountain is the highest landform on the earth’s surface, and valleys are the low-lying regions between two mountains. Valleys are formed on either side of the mountain and are topographically contrasting. As the winds flow towards the mountain,…
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The Human Body Has A Mind Of Its Own
Grief is a powerful emotion that alters the chemical balance in your body; sudden loss (an unplanned, prolonged separation) triggers a cascade of changes that lead to depression. Research has shown that a brain chemical known as “corticotropin-releasing factor,” a neurotransmitter released as a stress response, was elevated in persons who had experienced the sudden…
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Valentine’s Day for the Broken-hearted
February 14th conjures up images of love and romance. Yet, some of us have only memories to hold on grasp. Yet others have reminders of broken promises, emotional abandonment, and worse. I ask myself, “How do I celebrate this special day of love without the one I love?” My heart, which still bursts with love,…
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Thoughts for the New Year
Rudyard Kipling, in his book Bridge Building, says, “Never look backward, or you’ll fall down the stairs.” This statement, in the context of his book, inspires serious philosophical and existential questions related to the duality between science and the spiritual. Still, it also evokes a fear of looking back at where so much of life…
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Gratitude as a weapon against grief and anxiety!
On the verge of Thanksgiving, it would be apropos to discuss GRATITUDE as a means to counter GRIEF. These two antithetical sentiments are not innate to a widow or widower. Gratitude is a decision to consciously be aware of the positive in your life, notwithstanding all the negative and painful aspects. Grief will…
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Grief and the Holidays
Cynthia talks about how to best navigate grief as the holidays approach. She shares helpful tips for both the grieving person as well as their friends and family.
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Avoidance is a big part of dealing with Grief, Trauma and Despair.
by Cynthia Mascarenhas RN, LNCC While your immediate grief response is a fear that you will forget, your immediate trauma response is a fear that you will always remember; the reality is daily you work hard to not remember – the person you loved and lost or the person who failed to love you and…
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Do We Ever Live Again? Or Do We Just Exist?
by Cynthia Mascarenhas Life drags on. In one sense, it is mundane. In another, it is so full of unpredictability. Unexpected emotional peaks and troughs. Unexpected challenges to our emotional, psychological, and physical health. The inability to envision a future, dream, plan, and have a sense of excitement. An overwhelming sense of despair characterizes each…
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I Have Called You In Righteousness
I have called you in righteousness. I will hold you by the hand and watch over you. Your life will be a light to others. God’s purpose in creating you and calling you to Himself is that you will reflect His glory. I declare new things over you. Sing to the Lord a new song. …
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Death, Disease , Divorce
#death #Disease #Divorce – they leave us with painful memories of traumatic moments. Yet, we must find a way to grab life by the horns and keep living, not merely existing but truly living. Words to live by: Remember…. But do not forget to keep moving forward. Or as my husband will say, “It is…
Widowers Support Network 