How Can I HALT A Grief Spiral?


If you’ve ever been in any kind of counseling or recovery group , you have probably seen or heard this acronym and advice: HALT  before you speak.

It’s a great reminder that I should take a moment to consider my frame of mind before I blurt out something that might damage a relationship or wound someone else’s heart.

I had never thought about it until recently, but it is also a great reminder to us who grieve that what we interpret solely as grief (which we cannot control) might be compounded greatly by other things  (some of which we can control).

So I am learning to apply the HALT acronym to a grief spiral in my own life.

Read the rest here: HALTing a Grief Spiral

It’s Possible To Be Fierce Without Being Fractious

I wrote this from my point of view as a bereaved parent. But I think the principles can be applied to any topic by anyone.

It is entirely possible to make your argument, share your perspective, even ardently and passionately support a cause without attacking the person you’re talking to.

No one has ever changed their mind about anything because they’ve been shouted down, silenced, shamed or made to feel small.

❤ Melanie


It’s funny how child loss has, at the same time, made me more yielding and more steadfast.

I give in without a moment’s hesitation to other people’s choice in where to go for lunch, what to do for birthdays, how to arrange this or that at church.  My brain simply doesn’t have the capacity any more to argue over trifles.

But I will stand up to a lion for the sake of love or to protect a hurting heart.

Read the rest here: How To Be Fierce Without Being Fractious

Holidays 2020: Some Practical Ideas

Our family has yet to settle into a routine for the holidays even six years after Dominic ran ahead to Heaven. I’m always looking for new ideas that might be suitable.

Pinterest just doesn’t cater to those trying to craft celebrations that make space for grief and empty chairs.

So here are a few ideas I’ve compiled from other bereaved parents. I hope those who read this post will add their own.

Maybe one or more will help your family make a plan.

❤ Melanie

It cannot be overstated:  holidays are extremely hard after loss.  Every family gathering highlights the hole where my son SHOULD be, but ISN’T.

There is no “right way” or “wrong way” to handle the holidays after losing a child.

For many, there is only survival-especially the very first year.

Read the rest here: Practical Ideas for Dealing with the Holidays after Child Loss

Holidays 2020: Surviving Siblings

Surviving siblings are often called “forgotten grievers”. It’s natural and understandable for folks to focus on parents who lose a child.

But many, many grieving families include siblings who are not only grieving their brother or sister but also the family they once knew.

Sometimes holiday traditions are comforting and siblings long for things to be as close to “normal” as possible. Sometimes they are an uncomfortable reminder of how very different things have become.

Either way, it’s important for parents to remember that surviving siblings need an opportunity to speak aloud whatever may be in their hearts.

❤ Melanie

I have never wanted to make my life journey with blinders on.  I realized young that MY perspective is not the only one.  I understand that more clearly now. 

So I try hard to think about, acknowledge and accommodate the feelings and needs of others.

But it’s especially challenging since Dominic left us.  And doubly so this time of year when every sight, smell and song screams, “It’s the holidays and HE IS NOT HERE!“

I may not be as thoughtful to some in my circle as want to be, but I will expend every ounce of energy and effort I can muster to make space for my living children’s needs during this season. 

Read the rest here: Holidays and Grief: Surviving Siblings

Holidays 2020: What the Bereaved Need From Family and Friends

This is the most shared post on the site.

When I wrote it, I was writing my personal feelings after a couple of years trying to fumble through holidays with friends and family. It was an honest expression of how hard it was and continues to be to navigate the stress-filled season of Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.

I’m not sure I’ve grown any more skillful in fitting all the pieces together-especially as our family grows and moves in different directions-but I continue striving to keep the lines of communication open and to try to acknowledge and accommodate everyone’s needs as best I can.

❤ Melanie

“I know it is hard.  I know you don’t truly understand how I feel.  You can’t.  It wasn’t your child.

I know I may look and act like I’m “better”.  I know that you would love for things to be like they were:  BEFORE.  But they aren’t.

I know my grief interferes with your plans.  I know it is uncomfortable to make changes in traditions we have observed for years.  But I can’t help it.  I didn’t ask for this to be my life.

I know that every year I seem to need something different.  I know that’s confusing and may be frustrating.  But I’m working this out as I go.  I didn’t get a “how to” manual when I buried my son.  It’s new for me every year too.“

Read the rest here: Grief and Holidays: What the Bereaved Need From Friends and Family

Holidays 2020: Grief, Holidays and Hard Conversations

One of the things I’m learning in this journey is that people are much more likely to listen and be willing to make accommodations for my tender heart if I approach them BEFORE the “big day”-whatever that may be.

And yes, it seems unfair that those of us carrying a load of grief are also the ones that have to alert others to the load we’re carrying, but that’s simply the way it is.

They don’t know what they don’t know.

So, if you need to change things around consider speaking up NOW instead of huffing off LATER.

Read the rest here: Grief, Holidays and Hard Conversations

Holidays 2020: Blessing the Brokenhearted

The question is starting to pop up with greater frequency in our closed bereaved parent groups: How do you make it through the holidays after child loss?

So for the next few days I’m going to share again from the many posts I’ve written in the past five years addressing different aspects of holiday planning, celebration, family dynamics and just plain survival for grieving parents, siblings and those who love them.

❤ Melanie

Most parents feel a little stressed during the holidays.

We used to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving before our 24/7 supercharged and super-connected world thrust us into hyper-drive.  Now we zoom past the first day of school on a highway toward Christmas at breakneck speed.

For bereaved parents, the rush toward the “Season of Joy” is doubly frightening.

Constant reminders that this is the “most wonderful time of the year” make our broken hearts just that much more out of place. Who cares what you get for Christmas when the one thing your heart desires–your child, alive and whole–is unavailable…

Read the rest here: Season of Joy: Blessing the Brokenhearted During the Holidays

Holidays 2020: Flexibility and Grace. That’s the Ticket.

I’ve written tons on trying to figure out how to have holidays after child loss.

I don’t share my ideas because I’m an expert or because I’ve figured it out.

Holidays have been hit or miss ever since Dominic ran ahead to Heaven even though I’ve had six years (this will be seventh) to try to get them *right*.

But a mama’s heartfelt request in a bereaved parents group got me thinking.

She asked that folks refrain from telling her how BAD holidays after loss are and tell her how she could work toward making them manageable or even GOOD again.

I was trying to distill what I’ve learned in all these years into a (relatively) short comment to encourage her heart.

And what I came up with was that flexibility and grace were the keys that opened the door to holidays that at least approximated comfort and joy.

When Dominic ran ahead to Heaven my children were young adults finishing college and grad school, beginning careers, moving away and getting married. Things were bound to change even if we hadn’t lost him. But adding deep sorrow, grief and the trauma of sudden death made adjustments that much harder, depleted our emotional and psychological reserves and meant we were all giant walking nerves.

The first year we simply endured.

In the years since there has been one or more special circumstances to complicate working out new traditions. We’ve had two December graduations, a deployment and serious family illnesses among other things.

So I’m still not “in the swing” although I do manage to set up a small tree and enjoy finding gifts for the ones I love to tuck underneath.

The only thing that’s remained consistent is an ongoing need for flexibility and a desperate need to give and receive grace!

I try hard to have conversations about particulars as early as possible (usually September or October) with an honest understanding that things can and WILL change. One thing I’ve learned (the hard way!) is that putting off the inevitable calendar comparison and setting at least approximate dates only makes everything worse.

How to Get Through the Holidays – Sequoit Media

Trust me, being the one to make these phone calls and navigate the emotional waters is a task unto itself! I usually just set aside a day and plan on being exhausted by the end of it.

But it’s easier to have a single point of contact even when it means I’m also the single point of venting for those who are less than pleased with whatever compromise results.

I try to be the most flexible piece of our holiday puzzle even though I do have preferences and favorite foods and an image of what the holiday might look like. My surviving children have career commitments, work schedules and in laws to deal with so I want to free up space for them as much as possible.

If I’m honest it’s not easy.

My heart remains fragile and I spend more days than I’d like crying quietly where no one can see me. But that’s part of being a mama even if you haven’t sent a child ahead to Heaven.

So I ty to embrace the role, bend as much as possible and allow the grace of Jesus to fill my heart and flow through me to others.

I fall down often but keep getting up and trying again.

Holidays can be hard for lots of reasons. Child loss is just one of them.

So for the next few days I’m going to share some old posts that might help others face these next couple months with a little more confidence or at least some comfort knowing they aren’t alone in the struggle.

❤ Melanie

Picking Up The Threads Of An Old Life

Life after child loss can be described in various ways.

But any that ring true convey a sense that in an instant, everything is different, shattered, scattered, obliterated, changed.

Read the rest here: Picking Up The Threads

I Wish I Knew How I’m Doing. I’m Just Not Sure.


People see me, these years and months after Dominic left us and ask, “How are you doing?”

I come up with an answer because that’s the law of conversation-you ask something and I answer, then I ask something and you answer.

are-you-ok

Gotta keep that ball rolling.  

If it drops we are both forced to stand there wondering what to do with our bodies, our faces and our thoughts.

But right now, I don’t know HOW I’m doing.

Read the rest here: I Don’t Know How I’m Doing