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The Problems With Bereavement Leave in the United States
If you’ve ever experience acute grief, then you know how difficult it can be to get through daily tasks. The days following the death of a loved one are often described as a “brain fog,” and are sometimes a flurry of activity, planning memorial services and travel arrangements. And then what? And then you go…
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“Talking to Grief”
Levertov’s poem underscores the need to make space for painful feelingsDoes it ever get easier to sit with grief, refusing to push it away? Can we learn to let go a little, to allow emotions to linger for as long as they need? In “Talking to Grief,” Denise Levertov attempts to respond to the persistence of grief with patience and openness. Denise Levertov was born…
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“Death Is Stupid”
How One Picture Book Helps Children Process LossDeath Is Stupid is the second installment in the Ordinary Terrible Things book series from author Anastasia Higgenbotham. The Ordinary Terrible Things series tackles stories of common childhood crises to help readers ages 4-8 navigate troubles and trauma with “their senses on alert and their souls intact.” The first book in the series is called…
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“Heaven”
Artist’s soulful song expresses grief while embracing death’s inevitabilityIn “Heaven,” pop icon Beyoncé employs her powerful vocals in an expression of grief, mourning – and acceptance. In the first verse, she laments the loss of a loved one: I fought for you, the hardestIt made me, the strongestSo tell me your secretsI just can’t stand to see you leaving But as the…
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Hyman Bloom’s “Matters of Life and Death:” An Unblinking Exploration of Death and Decay
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is currently featuring an exhibition of 70 works by noted Jewish-American artist Hyman Bloom. The exhibit, which runs through Feb. 23, 2020, features 70 of Bloom’s most critically acclaimed works, including his controversial paintings of dead humans and animals in various stages of decay. Created during the 1940s and…
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At-Home Epigenetic Tests Estimate Biological Age
These days, most people have heard of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Popularized by companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA, these tests offer potential insights into personal history and distant familial connections. But have you heard of epigenetic testing? As reported by Wired, a number of companies are now offering at-home epigenetic tests. Priced anywhere between $299 to…
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Creating Powerful Connections with Music and Storytelling (Interview)
Jackie Vanderbeck has been building connections through music and storytelling since she was a child. The daughter of a dancer, her own creative expressions and musical performances were encouraged and nurtured during her youth in Sacramento, California. By the age of 8, Jackie was actively participating in the Fair Oaks Children’s Repertory Theater (which closed…
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Study Reveals That Our Brains Encourage Death Denial
A new study from researchers at Bar Ilan University in Israel has found that the human brain enables death denial by protecting us from the knowledge of our own mortality. Yair Dor-Ziderman, a former doctoral student at the university who is now a researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, set out to determine whether our…
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I Lost My Brother To Refractory Epilepsy Long Before His Death
Carlos became distant and angry long before his body succumbed to the diseaseThis is the Heather’s story as told to Jeanette Summers. Our “Opening Our Hearts” stories are based on people’s real-life experiences. By sharing these experiences publicly, we hope to help our readers feel less alone in their grief and, ultimately, to aid them in their healing process. In this story, Heather talks about losing her…
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