On October 2, 2018 I lost my rock. After 40 years, my mother was finally reunited with my father. I can only imagine the conversation the two of them are having and the amount of catching up that they have to do. I am saddened that my mother is not here any longer tyo be with me, but she left with nothing left to give. All of her love and every lesson - I got it all. Thanks for all the love and support I've received and a special thanks to my tremendous family. I could not have done most of the ...
Oct 03, 2018•13 min•Ep. 129
As I write this, my mother is lying in a hospital bed resting comfortably. I am facing the fact that one day she won't be here... the first time in my life I have really thought about it. And now, I can't stop thinking about it... That one thought is now affecting every aspect of my life - work, family, friends, relationships... EVERYTHING!! I talk myself out of hitting rock bottom. I have always been one who has been able to compartmentalize life and not have certain area effect others. Like so...
Sep 28, 2018•8 min•Ep. 128
I often have to remind myself that when implementing new strategies in my grief recovery process, I am actually making an investment that I must give time to work and produce results. I must be patient and give these processes time to work. I must also realize that I may not always get the desired result. That's OK because I can always devise new strategies to help me get though the rough times when old processes stop working. Subscribe to this podcast by using one of the following: Click here t...
Sep 19, 2018•20 min•Ep. 127
I received an email that stated that this podcast felt it gave them permission to go to the space that they needed to grieve. Permission is something that you need to go on field trips in school. When it comes to things that nourish your body... food, water, or in this case confronting you emotions, there is no need to seek permission. You do what you need to in the moment or as soon as possible to processes those feelings and confront them before things get out of hand and become too overpoweri...
Sep 13, 2018•8 min•Ep. 126
I've seen a number of posts in social media that deal with the lack of support that people feel they should be getting from their loved ones, friends and colleagues. I personally am a people watcher. I'm in a way fascinated by what people do and how they act in certain situations. After the death's of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain every one I know had some type of suicide prevention hotline number posted on their social media feeds/timelines. After two weeks, this stopped! Did people all of a ...
Sep 06, 2018•21 min•Ep. 125
I've got a lot of things going on in my life and have barely had time to breathe. I'm trying to help my mother take car of some things and I've got work and life related things of my own that I'm dealing with. I don't know how I'll manage everything... sometimes it seems overwhelming. It is in those moments that I have to tell myself that everything is going to be okay. I may not know when or how, but if I say it, and believe it, then everything will work out for the best. I don't know when or h...
Aug 30, 2018•11 min•Ep. 124
Often my thoughts get jumbled in my head. I can't seem to keep things straight sometimes, because my mind is a cluttered mess. A few months a go, I decided to to start writing - journaling if you will - about things I've been thinking about. Mostly grief related topics that I'd like to discuss on the podcast. The idea was to get things down on paper, someplace where all my thoughts would be in one place... a place whre I could come back and process everything that was going on in my mind a parti...
Aug 24, 2018•23 min•Ep. 123
I needed to visit the St. Louis at the last minute last week and I had the opportunity to visit my dad's grave... but I didn't go alone. I decided to take my mother with me, because I knew that she hadn't been in a while and I was unsure of what would happen. As it turned out, we ended up having a family meeting. My mother talked abaout how I was taking over some of the things that she had been doing for years, and I talked about my son's upcoming birthday. I wish he was closer to town so we cou...
Aug 15, 2018•19 min•Ep. 122
I have been asked on several occasions if there is ever truly be happy after loss. The answer to that question is a simple - YES! Getting there however, may not be as simple as it sounds. Subscribe to this podcast by using one of the following: Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe on Android Click here to subscribe via RSS Click here to subscribe on Spotify Contact me using any of following: email - darwyn@dealingwithmygrief.com twitter - http://www.twitter.com/deal...
Aug 04, 2018•21 min•Ep. 121
A few weeks ago I asked for listener feedback on how you felt when people say you look like your deceased loved ones - and here is what you said! Subscribe to this podcast by using one of the following: Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe on Android Click here to subscribe via RSS Contact me using any of following: email - darwyn@dealingwithmygrief.com twitter - http://www.twitter.com/dealwithgrief web - http://www.dealingwithmygrief.com voice message - http://www....
Jul 25, 2018•9 min•Ep. 120
This episode in dedicated to the memory of my cousin, Chris. Last week Facebook brought up a memory in the form of a picture of me with chipped teeth when I was about 12 or 13. I had chipped my teeth playing a game with my friends. The pain of the fall I took didn't last long but eating or drinking was difficult to say the least as I would get a crazy sensation that would run through my mouth. Dealing with this grief is much like that pain I felt. Much like I had to endure some pain in order to ...
Jul 18, 2018•21 min•Ep. 119
No into/outro music today... Just the bare bone basics to produce this podcast. Why?... Because a listener wanted to know how to get back to "normal" after grief. What is the new structure of life or their day going to look like. Sometimes we don't need to put on the window dressing to mask how we feel in our grief. It's not essential to who we are and how we really feel. So I used no music in the podcast today to illustrate that point. While the structure of the podcast is different. the overal...
Jul 11, 2018•14 min•Ep. 118
Ellen Threatts is the author of Four Seasons of Love and Grief. A native of Youngsville, LA Ms. Threatts works, volunteers, plays and writes about community, life, loss, healing and loving those around. While working with those who suffer from mental health issues compassion and servitude cemented the idea of her creating a non-profit for grieving adults and children. While still in its early stages pairing the soles of the feet, the soul of healing hearts surrounded by nature’s landscape will k...
Jul 04, 2018•52 min•Ep. 117
Special Announcement: You can now support the show by shopping on Amazon with this link: https://amzn.to/2JM5LjT Dealing With My Grief is now an Amazon associate and as an associate I earn from purchases you make on Amazon. You pay nothing extra ... just shop on Amazon by using the above link. The small commission I receive will help fund the show! Thank you!!! In other breaking news, I'm now on instagram at: https://instagram.com/dealingwithmygrief Please follow me for inspirational quotes and ...
Jun 27, 2018•31 min•Ep. 116
Special Announcement: You can now support the show by shopping on Amazon with this link: https://amzn.to/2JM5LjT Dealing With My Grief is now an Amazon associate and as an associate I earn from purchases you make on Amazon. You pay nothing extra ... just shop on Amazon by using the above link. The small commission I receive will help fund the show! Thank you!!! Now back to our regularly scheduled program: Bri Seeley is a born catalyst and natural truth-teller with a history in counseling, psycho...
Jun 20, 2018•52 min•Ep. 115
Special Announcement: You can now support the show by shopping on Amazon with this link: https://amzn.to/2JM5LjT Dealing With My Grief is now an Amazon associate and as an associate I earn from purchases you make on Amazon. You pay nothing extra ... just shop on Amazon by using the above link. The small commission I receive will help fund the show! Thank you!!! Now back to our regular program: Sometimes it's nice to reflect on the milestones we reach with grief. Today I sit down and discuss memo...
Jun 13, 2018•52 min•Ep. 114
My grandfather loved 3 things; dying eggs at Easter, making ice cream, and making wine. A few years ago I decided I would stasrt making wine using some of his recipes. While my mother was here, I decided I'd start a batch of wine using one of his recipes with her help. It was a great time together. We shared fond memories of him while doing something that he loved to do! Then as I often do, I started to ask myself. "How, if at all, does this relate to grief?" Grief is like the empty bucked that ...
Jun 06, 2018•34 min•Ep. 113
I didn't get an opportunity to record an episode last weekend... After going through a week where I lost my ATM card and went through hell to get home from a simple surprise trip on Mother's Day, I had a tree branch fall through - yes through the roof of my house! Trying to get that fixed and prepare for my mother's visit - coupled with the loss of electricity for several hours just didn't afford me the time th get the podcast done. While I strive to get an episode out every week this week for m...
May 31, 2018•30 min•Ep. 112
This past weekend, I surprised my mother for Mother's Day on what was supposed to be a very short mainly uneventful weekend. However, trying to get back to DC turned out to be nightmarish: I had to fix a lock I inadvertently broke My debit card got eaten by an ATM machine My flight got cancelled - TWICE - and delayed TWICE! After finally getting on a plane 28 hours after I was originally scheduled I was exhausted to say the least... Then I realized life, like grief can sometimes be exhausting! H...
May 17, 2018•18 min•Ep. 111
As I look through my phone, I have come across the names of 3 individuals who've died... one as long as 10 years ago! But no matter how hard I've tried, I can't bring it upon myself to delete their contact information from my phone. I know they aren't coming back... I've watched them be burried. I'v been to their homes and kne that they aren't on this earth any longer! I just don't know why there is a certain finality to removing theme from my contact list, especially when I have other things to...
May 09, 2018•11 min•Ep. 110
Sometimes I have to pay what I owe... I lost a bet to my Canadian friends from the Grief Dreams podcast (griefdreams.ca) and now I have to pay up! We had a bet on the first round NBA basketball playoff series between the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors. Whoever's team lost team lost would have to congratulate the other team on their victory in their podcast. And now I must do just that... Congratulations to the Toronto Raptors! Now there, I've done it and it's over. I had a chat with the ...
May 02, 2018•24 min•Ep. 109
April 24, 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of my dad's death... April 25 would have been my parents 54th wedding anniversary. I thought today would be a very painful one for me. But the words of a priest honoring someone else's loved one would touch me in ways that I couldn't imagine. His words took the sting out of the pain. I decided to homer my dad by hosting a Facebook live event in the Grief Resilience group where people could talk on and speak about their loved one if only for a minute to h...
Apr 25, 2018•18 min•Ep. 198
Today I have the honor of speaking with someone about loss as a result of suicide... Sebastian Slovin grew up in La Jolla, California and traveled extensively as a professional bodyboarder. As a young boy, Sebastian lost his father to suicide, which would later deeply inspire his path in life. He holds a BA in Environmental Policy from San Diego State University and an MA in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego. He and his wife, Sonya, founded Nature Unplugged, which focuses on cu...
Apr 19, 2018•46 min•Ep. 107
Before I get started, I have an announcement... Dealing With My Grief is now an award winning podcast!! It won a Silver Award in the Podcasting category at DC Web Fest (dcwebfest.org) held on April 6-7, 2018. Thank you for the recognition... the voices of those struggling with and persevering through grief are being heard! Thanks to Oren Levine for the music and Will Friday for the cover art. And a special thanks to my family who put up with my need for quiet will producing the show. Now on to t...
Apr 12, 2018•23 min•Ep. 106
Dave Jackson is the host of School of Podcasting and was the inspiration behind me using podcasting as the medium of getting my grief story out into the world. The thing that drew me to Dave is the fact that talk a lot about his personal life and how lessons he has learned in life, especially from his mother can be applied to podcasting... as well as other podcast topics that he entertains. In this episode we talk about his parents, specifically his mother and how he has, or hasn't dealt with he...
Apr 04, 2018•57 min•Ep. 105
Repetition is the mother of learning... In this regard, what I say this week is something I have said in different episodes of this podcast at some point in time. Grief isn't something you get over, you get through it. In coping with my own loss, I have found that facing my demons and looking at life with a different perspective have allowed my to come through my greif experience a better person. Subscribe to this podcast by using one of the following: Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts ...
Mar 30, 2018•24 min•Ep. 104
Erin Donovan is a documentary film producer who lost her mother suddenly in 2015 as the result of a car accident. In this episode she discusses dealing with not only her mother's death, but also it's aftermath... managing her mother's estate, fending of lawsuits, as well as keeping family members at bay. Yoga, therapy and friends would play a big part in helping Erin manage daily life after suffering her loss. Links to Erin's work: Erin's website: http://erindonovan.com/ Medium: 11 People You Me...
Mar 21, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 103
Last week I had no internet so as a bonus, I posted an interview for the Coming Back podcast. Shelby forsythia has me as a guest on her show and we has a great time talking about perspective, chess, and photo albums! Check out our conversation here: http://www.shelbyforsythia.com/podcast/38 This week I reflect on things I would say from the perspective of a 50 year old. Knowing what I know now, my 10 year old self would have a few things to say as well! What are some things that you would tell y...
Mar 14, 2018•20 min•Ep. 102
This week I had the opportunity to speak with Shelby Forsythia on her podcast, 'Coming Back'. Somehow I always feel better when I get to share my lost story and people are genuinely interested in parts of my story I really haven't discussed previously.
Mar 08, 2018
Sheaya Biddle is a former (and maybe soon to be) podcaster, future author and creator of the Facebook group 'Grief Resilience'. The group stresses positivity in the face of copy with grief and loss. This week I discus the loss of Sheaya's mother and the grief shaming that ensued and how she was able to cope with that by having close friends and building community. Join Sheaya's Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/griefresilience/ Brene Brown: Listening to Shame https://www.ted.com/ta...
Feb 28, 2018•1 hr•Ep. 101
