Grief Support

“A Certified Grief Educator is committed to providing the highest level of grief support through education, experience, and insights into the often unacknowledged rocky terrain of grief. Certified Grief Educators completed a certificate program designed by world-renowned grief expert, David Kessler. They bring his unique methodology, tools, and decades of experience to help people navigate the challenges of grief.” ~ David Kessler

Grief and loss have been the underlying theme of my life experience from a very young age. Hence, I have devoted much of my life to study and learn from experts in the field of death, dying, spiritual growth and healing along with many years supporting countless individuals, including my parentsĀ in their journey through loss and death. My mother had a terrible stoke and lived another eight years completely incapacitated and my father spent the last ten years in a nursing home after congestive heart failure. I was fortunate to be present during my parents death transitions. Through the transformational journey of my life, a depth unknown before has illuminated a deeper meaning and peace with life and death. Every day I practice loving kindness, forgiveness and compassion for myself and all others. Learning to fully embrace life and death, it is with humility and deep gratitude that I offer my services to supporting others during their time of loss and bereavement.

Growing up in a home with a lot of trauma and abuse I struggled to find meaning and happiness in life. For over two years during high school, I worked three days a week after school doing household duties for a beautiful family with two young children. The father was dying a stomach cancer and endured the devastating effects of chemotherapy and finally died. I was witness to his extreme suffering as well as the heavy toll it took on the family. I still hold this memory close to my heart as one of the most important times of my life.

After an early marriage, my then husband committed suicide by driving off a cliff and dying. I became even more disheartened. In a despairing attempt to find meaning in the chaos of my life, I worked as a CNA in a nursing home in Boulder for two years which gave me a close-up experience of the aging process and death. I then returned to college and graduated. Still suffering from complete desperation and hopelessness, I ended up overdosing while shooting cocaine.

Thankfully, I was blessed to be given a near-death experience when my heart stopped beating; I stopped breathing and completely left my body, going up into the Bright Divine Light. The direction of my life changed dramatically from then on. While I had much self-growth and healing work ahead of me, I stopped doubting God or questioning the meaning of life. That divine heart recognition has remained present and strong while being greatly tested over the last 40 years. The overall theme of my life has been to find and practice a deeper acceptance of the ever changing cycles of life, death, grief and loss. And to consciously learn to practice compassion, forgiveness and joy. Many of my friends have died at this point but one was extremely poignant. I supported a close friend over the last year of her life as she suffered horribly from lung cancer and died at the early age of 52. It was a heart-breaking experience to witness and serve her ravaged body but it also catapulted my seriousness toward spiritual practice and mediation.

I am extremely grateful for the richness of my life and the ever growing capacity of the heart to hold it all. Love endures and does not fade with the passing of time, nor in death. I am profoundly grateful for the work with David Kessler and his comprehensive program which not only deepened my own healing but also validated and supported me greatly in being able to be of greater service to others in their time of grief and loss.

Timeline of Grief – while there is no timeline in grief, this may be helpful.

  • Anticipatory grief: Grief before the death
  • Acute grief: When it just happened
  • Early grief: The first two years
  • Mature grief: There rest of their lives
  • Delayed grief: grief we donā€™t feel in the moment because itā€™s not safe or weā€™re in survival mode.

Stages of grief – not necessarily in this order and may be experienced simultaneously:

Mourning Vs. Grieving

Grief is what is going on inside, while mourning is what we do on the outside. The internal grief is a process, a journey. Everyone mourns differently. Some cry and others do not.

A wonderful resource: https://grief.com/