Blog
When There Are No Words: A How-To Guide to Writing a Meaningful Sympathy Card
Posted by Kellyn Shoecraft on- Tags: Grief support, Support
Choosing your Compassion Package
Posted by Kellyn Shoecraft onWe’re all interconnected, and no one event affects just one person. The degree of impact changes based on a variety of factors - usually the closeness of the relationship and the physical proximity are two big factors. When there is a death, or another life-altering transition, we can use rings...
Death Anniversaries Part 1: How To Be Supportive
Posted by Kellyn Shoecraft on- 6 comments
- Tags: Grief experience, Support
Suicide & Mental Health
Posted by Kellyn Shoecraft onGrief is complicated and difficult. To be a family member or friend of someone who lost their life by suicide adds an additional level of complexity. Much of this is due to the stigma of suicide. I dedicate this post to those trying to survive after a loss by suicide...
Failure to Communicate
Posted by Kellyn Shoecraft onThe miscommunication of grief is kind of like this hug between my nephew and my daughter. Good, heartfelt intentions, but an uncomfortable and painful experience. What you say and mean is not always what I hear: But even if I don't hear your intentions, thank you for trying. It...
Where to turn for comfort and support
Posted by Kellyn Shoecraft onUpdated: November 1, 2020 ~ Recommendations can be found halfway down the page. When you are recently diagnosed or bereaved, people are frantic to help you solve your problem. This is well-intentioned but can often be annoying. Especially when advice comes from the 'Solutions People.' When my mother-in-law’s breast cancer returned...
- Tags: Grief support, Resources, Support
Stop asking, “how are you?”
Posted by Kellyn Shoecraft onI hate it when someone asks me, “how are you?” Actually, I don’t really mind the question when someone I don’t know asks. I recognize it for what it is - conversational fluff. Most of the time it’s asked in passing and no one is really listening to the answer....
- 4 comments
- Tags: Support
Should I go to the funeral?
Posted by Kellyn Shoecraft onBeing the co-host of two funerals tops the list of my life’s stranger experiences. I dreaded both my sister’s and father’s services, wishing I could choose not to go. But like (so) many things in life, the anticipation was much more intense than the experience. I ultimately found the events to be soothing, empowering*, and...
- Tags: Support
Sympathy by Proxy
Posted by Kellyn Shoecraft onWhen it comes to couples and immediate families, there’s usually one person who gets designated the role “Public Representative for All Correspondence with Relatives, Friends, and Whatnot”. This public rep is on point for wedding RSVPs and sending thank you cards, and on the whole, this arrangement works out ok...
- Tags: Support