"Man to Man" Grief Room Blog Spot

In Darlene Cross's new book: "A New Normal: learning to live with grief " she points out one of the most important things new grief newbies need to know: "The most widely model you may have had likely heard bout is commonly referred to as the ' stages of grief. ' ...Keep reading because the shocking truth is there is no such thing." Many people learned in school or church about he stages of grief. It is usually described as a neat set of steps that carry you from one stage to another in a neat, smooth package - forget it- is right. - http://www.amazon.com/New-Normal-Learning-Grief-ebook/dp/B0036FUS6M/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1

“Early Phases of Grief: The First Days and Weeks” by Tim Heller, MSW/LCSW When my wife, Sandra, died 4 years ago, I was with her in our home with DCH Hospice. I told my young adult daughters and my wife’s family and then went about notifying extended family that lived away. Having worked in hospice for over 17 years I thought would have a pretty good handle on this process. I had myself convinced I was prepared for her death. After all, we knew it was going to happen for more than 3 years. However, there is something different about the death of a loved one, when it actually occurs. I soon discovered I needed to actually experience this death and the bereavement phases that followed, before I knew what it was really about. This is just one person’s experience into and now through the journey called grief. I would have to say, I still found it difficult at times to actually follow through with the many tasks associated with her death as well as some of the tasks of everyday livin...