Resources and Support
Coping With Loss
If you recently have lost someone in your life, this may be the first time that the word grief has become personal; no longer is death something that happens to other people in other places. The multitude of experiences resulting from this overwhelming loss — emotional, physical, social, spiritual and cognitive — comprise what we call "grief."
Experienced by people of each generation, in all cultures, and from every walk of life, grief is a universal experience. Most simply, grief is the process of learning to adjust life after a significant loss. That term, "adjust life" might seem odd, but remember grief is all about learning to live in new ways. We don't really "recover" from grief or "get over it." Instead, we learn to manage life in a radically changed world.
You can use the resources in this section to find more information on ways to cope with your loss. You also can connect with others who are grieving and hear from experts by exploring The Why We Gather Community.
The pages in the Coping With Loss section of this website were written by William G. Hoy, DMin, FT, director of Texas-based Grief Connect, a Center for bereavement education. As an educator, author and counselor, he has walked alongside grieving people for more than 25 years. In addition to presenting more than 70 invited lectures each year to groups of caregiving professionals across the United States and Canada, Dr. Hoy teaches in the Medical Humanities Program, College of Arts and Sciences at Baylor University.
Good Grief
Good Grief’s mission is to provide unlimited and free support to children, teens, young adults, and families after the death of a mother, father, sister, or brother through peer support programs, education, and advocacy. http://www.good-grief.org
The Role of Ceremonies in Bereavement
From earliest history, people have used ceremonies to acknowledge death. Even with broad diversity in specifics, READ MORE
Six Characteristics of Helpful Ceremonies
Some elements of funeral ceremonies owe their beginnings to the oldest funerals about which we have written READ MORE
Have the Talk of a Lifetime™ WORKBOOK HERE
Have the Talk of a Lifetime to help families have important conversations about the things that matter most to them and how a person’s life story can be remembered and honored in a meaningful way. Memorialization is so much more than it used to be. Today it can reflect a person’s life story, values, interests and experiences. Meaningful memorialization can be transformative, healing and comforting. Have the Talk of a Lifetime offers families practical advice and tools to help them have conversations about the things that matter most and how they hope to be remembered when they die and for generations to come. Courtesy of the Funeral and Memorial Information Counsel
Two Hearts Pet Loss Center
Founded by Coleen Ellis, Two Hearts Pet Loss Center aims to educate, guide and journey with people through pet death care and grief. The center and its website provide resources for funeral care professionals and families that have lost a beloved pet. READ MORE