The days are shorter, the nights longer and cooler. As we settle into the winter, it seems like time speeds up. As I get older, the weeks between Halloween and New Years feel shorter and closer. It is also a time for busyness with all the holidays and special things that go with each crammed …
There are some gifts that money can’t buy…and they fit for any special day including the days you declare special aside for the calendar. So what is the “perfect gift” and how much does it cost? In this time of so many challenges, there are a host of alternative gifts that are sure to fit …
November is a strange and welcome month in Arizona….it is a time of extremes and contrasts. While it is officially fall, there are 95-degree days as well as 55-degree days. The Bermuda grass is dying and the rye grass is sprouting. Halloween decorations come down and Christmas lights go up…..Thanksgiving sometimes gets lost in the …
by: Sandra Howlett, Ed.D. Remembering a time at a retreat I attended with a group of bereaved parents, I felt called to spend some time reconnecting with nature. Toward the back of the property of this retreat, I discovered a labyrinth of stones. At first glance, a labyrinth looks like a maze with its series of concentric …
Grief is a normal, natural response to the death of a loved one. It can also feel very painfulemotionally, and at times, physically. The death of a loved one changes many things. • You don’t “get over” grief. You can get through it. Know that it will take longer thananyone tells you and more energy …
Has Anyone Seen an Elephant? (Dr. Sandi Howlett) You may be familiar with the phrase, “there is an elephant in the room”. It refers to something big and obvious going on that everyone knows about but no one is openly addressing. We’ve all done it – talk about or even around someone, rather than directly to …
A Time of ‘Firsts’ by Dr. Sandi Howlett “There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” Nelson Mandela The year following the death of a loved one is filled with ‘firsts’. There are the obvious ones like holidays, anniversaries and birthdays. …
Grief and Mourning in the Time of Covid-19 by Dr. Sandi Howlett “Grief is love with no place to go” – Jamie Anderson. Grief is hard in the best of times. Normally, we gather for support and storytelling after the death of a loved one, friend or co-worker. Friends bring food to help nourish …
GRIEF NOTES by Dr. Sandra Howlett, Ed.D In the February 22, 2007 issue of the Journal of American Medical Association, researchers studied how people grieve. While it is true that many people do feel shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, the study revealed that what most people felt most deeply was a profound sense …
THE MYTH of CLOSURE by Sandra Howlett, Ed.D “Closure” is a term frequently used following a death. Some of the events that are often said to provide closure range from final conversations, funerals or memorials, distributing the belongings of our deceased loved one, moving to a different home, and learning the official cause of death. …