I Am A Griever

Lyss – Holding Space

Lyss discusses holding space, feeling the feelings and the things her Mom missed by dying at 47.

Nicole – Grieving as a community

Nicole discusses the power of grieving together as a community. Finding connection and trust.

John – Support over time

John discusses how support changes over time

Finding Joy During the Holidays After Loss When Everything Feels Awful: A message of hope.

My mother died in the middle of the night on January 1, four days before I turned sixteen. I don’t remember much about Christmas the couple weeks before she died, just that we spent a lot of that season in the ICU of the hospital where my mother had birthed my brother and I. For…

Craig – My Story

Craig’s story is one of resilience and triumph. In the span of just 18 months, he lost his marriage, his mom, two dogs, a cat, his job, and his house. But rather than give up, he picked himself up and started over. He went back to school to become a therapist, and now he’s helping others who are struggling to overcome adversity. Craig’s story is a reminder that no matter how bad things seem, there is always hope. With hard work and determination, you can overcome any challenge.

Kate – Time to process

Kate shares about time and processing her grief especially during COVID

Kate – My art and my brother

Kate talks about being an artist and expression through art can remind her of her brothers encouragement

Pet Loss: When People Fall Silent

A few days after the birth of my younger brother, my father was taking the dog he and my mother adopted from the humane society, along with my twin and I, to the veterinarian. Years later, my father would share how many times he wiped his eyes on the car ride there. Yoda shared 16…

Angie – Preparing for Grief on the Job

Angie explains her thoughts on fitting in and doing the right thing

Lyss – Responsibilities

Lyss talks about her mother’s death, being the eldest and how it has effected the way she feels about responsibilities

A Million Other Things: Grieving a Drug Poisoning Death

Sister, father, son, niece, best friend – some of these words might be how you would describe your loved one who has died of an overdose or drug poisoning. People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) are not defined by their substance use – they are a million other things to those who love and miss them dearly. Drug poisoning and overdose deaths are stigmatized in our society. The focus is on how the person died, not who they are. Society still holds onto old notions and beliefs about drugs which come with a value judgment about people who use drugs, which further contributes to stigma. Not everyone who uses drugs is an addict and not all drug use is inherently problematic. People who use drugs deserve dignity and respect when we are remembering and honouring those who have died by overdose or drug poisoning.

Betsy – You can’t know until you know

Betsy talks about support and what really helps when one is in grief