Giving Can Be a Form of Healing

  I struggled to fight back tears as I listened to Nancy Anderson, the mother of Kate’s Club participants Kinsey and Ellie, tell her story.  Given Nancy suffered a loss, one may automatically assume that my tears were due to sadness.  However, to the contrary, I restrained tears of joy.  It’s not particularly often that…

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17 years later

Today is a day I dread all year. I never know how the anniversary of my dad’s suicide will hit me. It used to be a day I acknowledged silently, but thanks to this blog, this will be the third year in a row that I’ve observed this grim anniversary by sharing. In 2011, I…

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The Beneficial Nature of a Two-Way Street

Christie Carden knew the pain of loss at a young age.  As a junior in high school she lost her father.  At seventeen years old she struggled to find meaning to the emotions moving through her yet gave up on her fight after only four counseling sessions, needing instead to be “strong for her family”. …

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Be The Light

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with each of Mary Howell, the current Board Chair of Kate’s Club, and Toni Millner, the immediate past Board Chair of Kate’s Club (and currently a member of the Advisory Board), over coffee, to talk about their involvement with Kate’s Club. Mary is a Director of Corporate Finance…

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Finding Normalcy

One of the first things I remember thinking after levitra telling my 9 year old daughter her father had died was “What will be normal for her?” I wondered if she would ever have normalcy and if so when would it happen? What will it be? I was very concerned that the life shift could…

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Purpose Through Loss

Although a family cannot forget or replace the loss of a loved one, they can be empowered to turn that loss into a catalyst for a more clear focus and greater determination.  Wendy Hensel and her family’s journey prove that grief can serve as fuel for positive personal growth. Wendy was devastated when she lost…

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Furry Family Members

I am an animal person. I have been my entire life. I can almost measure different time periods in my life by the pets that I had. Sunshine, Autumn, and Brandy were in the early years. I met and loved Mandy, George, and Jordache in elementary school. Sophie and Rocky were with me from middle…

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A Mom losing a Mom

Amy Joyce, pictured above in 1992 with her Mom, has bravely captured the essence of what it is like to lose a mom in her article published last month in the Washington Post.  It is a must read for those of us who find ourselves still hearing Mom’s voice in our heads whether she died…

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