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Cost of funerals these days is going up. No-one wants to know of course. Until they get a big shock (at a time when they are least able to deal with it). The 2016 Cost of Dying Report from SunLife Insurance shows that: Just 1% know ALL the deceased’s funeral wishes 22% don’t know ANY…
Read MoreOne day, about 2 years after my husband died, I was at a social occasion with a group of friends I’d known for a while. One of them was suffering the aftermath of a recent divorce, seeing her ex-husband on the arms of a younger woman around town. “Sorry”, she said, looking at me…
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Fear gripped me, like a vice around my guts. I treaded water in the swimming pool in which I had arrived for an early morning dip, before the heat of the day became too much. My friend had called from the terrace rooftop of the villa in which I was staying in Italy, on holiday.…
Read MoreMuhammad Ali made a huge impact in the world throughout his life in many ways, not just his boxing. But he also made an impact in his death too – he had stated beforehand just how he wanted his funeral to be. Not only did this mean his executor and family only had to carry…
Read MoreIn the UK’s Saturday Guardian, Adam Golightly writes an anonymous column (Widower of the Parish) recounting his challenges each week as a new widower and father to two children, since his wife Helen died in early April. This week, he faced another apparently small, but in experience huge, problem. The one of passwords. In my…
Read More“Everyone’s grieving is unique, and only luck helps us strike the right note in talking with the bereaved. ” So said Mariella Frostrup in last week’s Observer magazine. Yes, grief is definitely unique in it’s expression through each person. But do we really depend on luck if we are talking with those who have been…
Read MoreWhen your loved one dies initially, your world is consumed with thoughts of them. You expect that, others expect that, and while it is extremely painful, there is a kind of appropriateness about it all. After all, it IS painful when someone dies. But further on, what happens when you feel moments of peace or…
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Intention-Directions vs Goals ‘I don’t do setting goals; instead I focus on being me, loving myself as much as possible, taking opportunities that present themselves to me and watching my life unfold before me’. This is a paraphrase of what was said by a woman for whom I have a huge amount of respect.…
Read MoreHow to cope with Christmas? Even the thought of it can be a nightmare when a loved one has died, and especially a partner, child or other person you were living with. I created this infographic as a quick way to help you with managing not just the day itself, but the run up to it.…
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