Category Archives: Grief

Eleven Months

Posted on November 17, 2014 by edcol52

It is the orthodox custom to recite Kaddish, the prayer said by mourners on behalf of the departed, for eleven months following the death of a parent. Why eleven months? The belief is that the departed sits under Divine judgement for … Continue reading →

Posted in Ceremony, Friends and Family, Grief, Honoring Jake, Jake Colman, Progress, Sadness | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

How to Help A Grieving Friend

Posted on November 16, 2014 by edcol52

Here is another excellent article from Megan Devine on how to help a grieving friend. It speaks for itself, and if you know someone who has recently lost a loved one, you can help in meaningful, concrete ways. You can’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Coping, Friends and Family, Grief, Jake Colman, Support | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

What to Say and What Not to Say

Posted on October 14, 2014 by edcol52

I have written about some of these things before and shared links to other articles. This is one of the best and most concise compendiums of what and what not to say to a bereaved person. After nearly 10 months, … Continue reading →

Posted in Coping, Friends and Family, Grief, Healing, Support | 2 Comments

Sukkot

Posted on October 11, 2014 by edcol52

We are in the midst of celebrating the 7-day holiday of Sukkot, the Jewish “Harvest Festival”. After all the fasting and atoning and spiritual soul-searching we are supposed to do during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Sukkot which comes just … Continue reading →

Posted in Ceremony, Food, Friends and Family, Grief, Honoring Jake, Jake Colman, Jake's Spirit, Memory | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Here it Comes. Here it Is. There it Goes.

Posted on September 29, 2014 by edcol52

Last Thursday was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Early last week I had it in mind to write a post about the impending holiday, but for reasons described elsewhere, I didn’t. Now that the first of the High Holy … Continue reading →

Posted in Ceremony, Coping, Daily Ramblings, Grief, Jake Colman, Sadness | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

The Tiniest and Most Random Details

Posted on September 9, 2014 by edcol52

We get dozens of catalogs in the mail every week. I was leafing through one of them the other day, the Fall catalog from Sur La Table, an upscale cookware and kitchen supply company. It has the usual Le Creuset … Continue reading →

Posted in Coping, Daily Ramblings, Grief, Memory, Sadness | 5 Comments

Losing My Voice

Posted on August 3, 2014 by edcol52

Where does the time go? I have read that it takes 21 days to create a habit. That is if you want to start doing something, do it consistently for 21 days, and you will create the habit to continue … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily Ramblings, Friends and Family, Grief, Honoring Jake, Jake Colman, Memory, Observations, Poetry, Progress | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Finding the Words

Posted on July 29, 2014 by edcol52

This is an excellent article appearing in the New Yorker online. Poet Edward Hirsch writes about the loss of his son, Gabriel at age twenty-two. It is a moving and thought-provoking piece. What is uncanny is that some of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Coping, Grief, Jake's Spirit, Other Media, Poetry, Print Article, Sadness | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Physical Toll of Grief

Posted on July 2, 2014 by edcol52

Yesterday was June 28th. Exactly six months, twenty-six weeks, since our beloved son died. Twenty-six joyless Shabbats. Twenty-six dreaded Saturday mornings. One hundred eighty-two days I have had to live in this world without Jake. It still doesn’t seem possible. … Continue reading →

Posted in Coping, Daily Ramblings, Grief, Progress, Sadness | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

It’s Not Getting Any Easier

Posted on June 14, 2014 by edcol52

This has been a very arduous couple of weeks, full of ups and downs. We have been renovating our guest house, the place where Jake lived on and off for the past few years. Going through his belongings left there … Continue reading →

Posted in Ceremony, Coping, Grief, Honoring Jake, Jake Colman, Memory, Sadness | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments