Close
Menu

Posts in category "Articles"

https://www.compassionatefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/AdobeStock_506146114-240x240.jpeg

The Pain Softens with Time

On October 7, 2006, my life changed forever. As I held my daughter in my arms, my only child, my beautiful 2 1/2-year-old was removed from the machine that had been keeping her alive for the last 3 days. Kaylee…

https://www.compassionatefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/AdobeStock_302329979-240x240.jpeg

Traditions: What to Keep and What to Let Go

Traditions are very important to our families, and we may share large and small ones throughout the year. Some may be in conjunction with significant events like a graduation or a wedding, and others occur annually on birthdays and holidays….

https://www.compassionatefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/AdobeStock_626095594-240x240.jpeg

Faded Fall Embers

Fall was our favorite time of the year; the feel and scent of cool crisp air, cozy aromatic kitchens, candles, decorations, and colorful falling leaves. But most of all, the crackling flame and smell of a bonfire, a relaxing night…

https://www.compassionatefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/AdobeStock_634420048-240x240.jpeg

The Empty Chair: Seven Lessons Gained in Sibling Loss

I never meant to become any sort of expert in sibling loss. That’s not a path anyone would willingly choose for themselves. Back in high school, I remember standing in the funeral home at my friend’s wake. After hugging his…

https://www.compassionatefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/AdobeStock_565277605-240x240.jpeg

An Open Letter to Grandparents

Dear Grandparents, We grandparents are put into the unenviable double role with the death of a grandchild. Not only do we lose a grandchild, but we find ourselves in the helpless position of watching our children grieve the loss of…

https://www.compassionatefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/AdobeStock_309718566-240x240.jpeg

Guilt: It’s What Our Brain Does

After your loved one died, did you find yourself saying things such as: I should’ve, I shouldn’t have, If only, I wish I would’ve, or Why didn’t I? If so, you are part of a very large group of humans…

https://www.compassionatefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/AdobeStock_100918162-240x240.jpeg

Joshua Tree

My family loved taking trips to Joshua Tree, a sweet small town in the high desert of the Mojave, about two and a half hours east of Los Angeles. It’s right next to the spectacular Joshua Tree National Park, with…

https://www.compassionatefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/AdobeStock_230501228-240x240.jpeg

Is it a Wound or a Well?

I just spent the weekend with a thousand people who have lost a child — possibly one of the most unnatural and painful things someone can experience, especially as a parent, grandparent, or sibling. At the conference there were, of…

https://www.compassionatefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Rainy-autumn-landscape-240x240.jpg

Some Days Are Just Hard

Losing a child is indescribably painful. As any bereaved parent will tell you, the death of a child leaves a huge line running through our lives with “before and after” etched forever in our memories. Days that were previously filled…

Sign Up for the Compassionate Friends Newsletter

  • Phone: 877.969.0010
© 2025 The Compassionate Friends. Privacy Policy
This site was donated by the Open to Hope Foundation in loving memory of Scott Preston Horsley.
BBB Accredited Charity Best America Independent Charities of America 2012 Top Ten Grief & Loss