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Bereaved Parents Newsletter
Journeys Through Grief Newsletters
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November 2012
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| Greetings! | |
Welcome to our newest subscribers and thank you to our returning readers. We have another great newsletter filled with many loving articles and helpful information.
Beginning with this issue, you will be able to privately contact the authors through a form at the end of their article in addition to posting to an open comment section. If an article touches your heart or provides an "ah ha" moment, please thank the author. No one who writes for the Journeys Through Grief Newsletters receives a stipend.
In a week or so, I am going to send out a special  newsletter filled with new and previously published articles and resources to help you cope with the upcoming holiday season. Difficult as it may be, we cannot escape the sights and sounds and memories of happier times.
Much love and many HUGS,
Peggy
peggy@sweeneyalliance.org
P.S. You are receiving this issue a few days early because I am helping to facilitate a bereaved parents' weekend in Hunt, TX. I ask that you please keep all involved in your thoughts and prayers.
If you LIKE this issue please share it.
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Just as Death is Most Personal, So is Grief (teen car accident)
by Caroline Flohr
Caroline was living a quiet, simple life on an island not far from Seattle, Washington. When her 16 year old daughter was killed in an SUV accident, she vowed that she and her remaining children would survive this tragedy.
"As the days passed into weeks, it was obvious that I'd lost Sarah's twin sister, Caiti, to a broken heart. Barely hanging on...would Caiti live? The two had lived a lifetime together... would I have to place Caiti's ashes on top of her sister's? Christopher, just 11 years old, kept his composure as he got overlooked in the shuffle. The littlest children, both under 2 years of age, kept my mind occupied. I stayed busy tending to my children who lived". Read more....
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Our Featured Website
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Dream of Things
Author, Madeline Sharples
Leaving the Hall Light On: A Mother's Memoir of Living with Her Son's Bipolar Disorder and Surviving His Suicide charts the near-destruction of one middle-class family whose son committed suicide after a seven-year struggle with bipolar disorder.
Madeline Sharples, author, poet and web journalist, goes deep into her own well of grief to describe her anger, frustration and guilt.
About the Book, a video
Connect with Madeline:
Her Blog
Red Room: Where the Writers Are
Twitter @madeline40
Thank you, Madeline, for sharing your story in our May issue:
Magical Thinking ~ Does It Make Sense
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Our Featured Books
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My Uncle Keith Died by Carol Loehr
This children's book describes the symptoms of depression. It also helps children understand why a depressed person may not seek help. Carol's story is featured in this issue.
The Circle of Fire - In the Midst of the Ashes an Ember of Hope Flickered by Justine Fry
In March 1999, Justina's life changed forever when a four-alarm house fire ravaged and destroyed her family's home. She shares her story about surviving the death of her child and the physical injuries left behind on she, her husband, and surviving son Read Justine's story in the December issue!
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Journeys Through Grief Newsletters
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Did you know we offer TWO additional newsletters:
Grieving Behind the Badge
for emergency responders
The Road Less Traveled
topics of grief and loss
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Text to JOIN
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JOURNEYTHRUGRIEF
@22828
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Coursework in Grief
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a Lesson in Healing
a free online study program
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New Books, Blogs, & Websites
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Books
~ A Life Undone: A Father's Journey by Barry Kluger
~ My Uncle Keith Died by Carol Loehr
~ Circle of Fire by Justina Fry
Blogs
Websites
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Memorial Video
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This is a video of the
memorial service
for a young man whose
struggle with serious mental illness culminated in his
death by suicide
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On Angels' Wings (overdose, no surviving children)
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 by Ernie Laughlin Now I lie awake under the covers, the dog snuggled at my feet, the cat lounging on my chest, both soundly asleep. I still get up at one or four, and pace the floor for hours. But before I go back to sleep this night, it isn't you I'll greet. For loneliness, desperation, hopelessness and fear will be my companions tonight. A father's sorrowful story about the death of both his daughters to heroin overdose. Read more....
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Holiday Memories of Brooke
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 by Jennifer Scalise
The holidays can be a tough time for those of us who have suffered the loss of a loved one. I want to do anything I can to help offer strength and inspiration to those in need during this time. As a mother who has endured and survived the tragic loss of her daughter, I hope to help others find the peace I have. Read more....
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That Empty Space in Your Heart: Fill it with Assemblage
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 by Nancy Gershman
Nancy is that rare breed of artist who seems to always think outside of the box. Last month, we learned about her talent using photos, memories, and stories to create a picture of someone we love who has died. But how do you create a picture to remember a baby that died through miscarriage as in my situation? What if we have no photos and very few memories, what then? Read more....
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Wind Beneath My Wings (teen suicide)
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by Karyl Chastain Beal
I expected Arlyn would leave for college, whether she was ready or not. But, I was wrong. Very wrong. She did not wait two weeks to leave; she left that very afternoon. Arlyn walked out the door and got into her car. She drove several miles into the country, down a long, lonely dirt road. She parked her car near a stream, and she took an old hunting rifle out of the trunk. Next, she placed its barrel into her mouth, and pulled the trigger. Read more....
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This Promise Always, I'll Be There (adult child accident)
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 by Ruth Stoecker
As far back as I can remember, I had always wanted a baby. When Jaden arrived, he was picture perfect, and he was truly mine. I remember the first time my sister came to visit. As we stood looking down into his little bed, I took her hand and said "just look at him, isn't he beautiful". Twenty-two years later, that same sister and I stood looking down into a shiny black coffin. He was still picture perfect. I took her hand and said "just look at him, isn't he beautiful". Read more....
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Holidays ~ Survival or Defeat? (no surviving children)
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by Kay Bevington
You may not be able to ENJOY the holiday but rest assured that there will be a day in your future when you'll be able to once again gain some pleasure from them. It will never be the same without your child/children but you will learn to cope and reinvest in others and have a life again. Read more....
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Video Presentations by Deb Anthony
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Last month, I featured one of several videos that Deb Anthony has produced about the death, in December of 1984, of daughter, Erin Margaret Anthony (age 6). Erin's death resulted from a horrific accident involving a school bus she had just exited. Deb's words will bring comfort and healing to many.
November 2012 October, 2012
Deb will have a holiday article in the December Bereaved Parent newsletter issue. Don't miss it! You may also enjoy comfort in her book, Recapturing the Joy: A Journal for Bereaved Parents.
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Suicide: Some Understanding Is Certain to Initiate and Develop Empathy (adult child suicide)
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by Carol Loehr
"If he loved you so much why did he hurt you this way?" Most
people do not realize that survivors of suicide are constantly faced with insensitive, hurtful comments about suicide, not only from the general population, but also from the media-and even the "entertainment" industry! Thoughtless comments from strangers are one thing, but suicide survivors must even endure such comments from their clergy, family, friends, and other well-meaning people. Read more....
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 Mission Statement
The Sweeney Alliance, a non-profit, Texas-based organization, provides training programs and educational material relating to grief, post-traumatic stress, and suicide prevention for the general public as well as the emergency response communities and their families in North America. We promote a mentally healthy work environment through cooperation with local, state, and national fire service and law enforcement agencies and organizations. We make available local grief support groups and electronic newsletters and bereavement resources globally for the public in general.
Your tax deductible donation we help us to continue to provide
FREE newsletters for our subscribers. Thank you ~ Peggy
Peggy Sweeney, Founder/Editor 
1601 Quinlan Creek Drive
Kerrville, TX 78028
830.377.7389
peggy@sweeneyalliance.org
Twitter @journeysgriefnews
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