Thanks to COPE’s facilitator Diane McNamara, LCSW-R for this month’s Healing Tip Riding the roller coaster of grief The grieving process is not linear. One does not move smoothly or swiftly through the stages of denial, anger,...
For many of us February is synonymous with Valentine’s Day, a day celebrating love. Love is the other side of grief. It’s because we love so deeply that we grieve so intensely. For so many years I was in deep sorrow after my daughter passed and then alone after my...
It is hard for me to avoid reading or watching the news. Yes, I know that it’s not always the best thing for my sanity, and yet I can’t stop, or perhaps I just don’t want to. Maybe I think, magically, that if I stay on top of the flood of information, I will be...
The voice heard in my silence – The pandemic we are all facing is challenging but allows for some rare opportunities of self discovery. I have taken many walks by myself where I contemplate the events and meaning of my life. My future seems uncertain....
Dear COPE families, For as long as my daughter is gone, the New Year has been associated with January, the month that Michelle passed. One thing I know, after 29 years, I’ve had to learn to think differently. After quite some time, I recently dreamt of my daughter and...
Happy New Year! Doesn’t it seem odd to say that? Perhaps the best we can say about 2021 is that is not 2020. With the rest of humanity, we, the bereaved families of COPE, are starting 2021 in the midst of an almost universal shared grief and fear. Yet, I find...
So many families at COPE have lost children and siblings, and the holidays are always so difficult for people. Many of the siblings in my group have talked about how their parents ‘canceled’ Christmas after their loss. So many families on Long Island are...
Thanks to COPE Facilitator Lauren Jukofsky, LCSW for this month’s Healing Tip Take Care of Yourself There are moments that can be stressful for everyone, adding the loss of a loved on top of everything else can feel unsurmountable....
REFLECTIONS So many aspects of the world right now are reminiscent of my early grief…The isolation, distancing, fear, anxiety, and depression are all familiar feelings, creating vulnerability and a lack of control. My inner world is being challenged by...
Holidays this year are different… This holiday season is like none other. We’re embracing those we love at a distance and creating new ways to be together in mind and heart while finding new ways to love the ones who are missing. I’m finding new...
