Hello, and thank you for reading my first ever blog! Many years ago, when the blogging world first emerged, someone asked me if I was going to start writing one. The whole concept eluded me. I remember responding, “Why? What would I write about? And who would even care?”
Twenty-five-plus years later, in the year I turn 70, I’m beginning to understand. I now have plenty to write about, and my biggest hope is that what I have to say will be helpful to others struggling with loss. I see myself as a “grief survivor” and want to share what I’ve learned to become one. And if that helps someone out, it will make the pain of the grief journey worth it.
My grief journey began in 2008 when our troubled son, Stephen, came home from college and announced his drug addiction, an insidious form of a slow death. It continued with various forms of devastating loss through 2021, which I write about in my book, Surviving the Grief Cave – One Man’s Journey Through Deep Sorrow to New Life, Love and Faith.
My plan for the blog is to add narrative, perspective and insights to the sections and chapters of the book.
Many years have come and gone since the events detailed in the book, which provides its own perspective. More than just the passing of time, however, it’s my personal perspectives – mental, emotional and spiritual – that have grown the most, all for the better. The areas of growth are covered in the book, but my intent for the blog is to provide more focus from two different angles: How I handled things at the time, and what lessons I’ve learned over time. Hopefully, the reader will benefit from both.
The book and the blog are directly from my experience and are not intended to be a “how to” prescription on how to navigate grief. Everyone has their own grief process, and their own unique experience of working through loss. I hope that by combining them, we grow and get stronger together.