Comforting friends who have gone through significant hurt or loss is not easy. We want to support and encourage our friends during their time of trial, but often what we say can only make things worse. One of my professors, while teaching a graduate course I took called "Evil & Suffering" (not the most uplifting course name ever devised) talked...

Several years ago a friend of mine’s son died. His name was Nathan and he was almost two months old when they lost him.   They lost him to SIDS - every parent’s nightmare.  He was there and then he was gone.  I cannot imagine the depth of their grief. In the months that followed my friend shared a few of things people had said to him. ...

When my son was diagnosed with autism, I was surprised at the depths of grief that threatened to overwhelm me. Even though I still had my son, I felt as if I had lost him in some ways. The burden of mourning and moving into a new normal was not a load I was able to carry on my own. Thankfully, my family and friends linked arms with me, walking...

At 19 weeks I gave birth to a little boy.  We named him Jacob.  We said hello and goodbye in the same hour. He is not a miscarriage or an almost-child, he is my son.  This letter was written three years after his birth.  This is a glimpse into my mother’s heart, a letter written to Jacob my son who resides in heaven.  If you (or someone you...

Take a deep breath: You will survive, you are not alone and it has happened to someone else, there is hope.  You feel like your world is out of control right now and it probably is.  Remember it won’t stay this way forever.  Think of another time you felt overwhelmed, what did you do to handle it in a healthy way?  We all handle stress differently...

In the wake of the horror and suffering of the recent terrorist attacks on Manhattan and the Pentagon, and recently the attacks on London, it has been heartwarming to see so many acts of heroism, beginning with the men and women who met a hellish death as they raced up the stairs of the World Trade Center to save lives. Thousands of volunteers, lavish...