Grounding Grief

Ann talks about her muddled thinking rooted in the choices a family faces when deciding where a loved one with a long-term illness will die, along with her anticipatory grief, as her father lies dying. ann@groundinggrief.com

In response to a few requests, Ann introduces the conversation about losing pets, the ensuing grief, and her anticipatory grief about Flannery, Victoria's cat, dying before Ann does. She welcomes others who have lost pets to email her to share their stories at ann@groundinggrief.com ann@groundinggrief.com

Ann talks about the enduring nature of grief, how it can creep up unexpectedly, and time's capacity to soften it. ann@groundinggrief.com

Author Liz Newman joins Ann to talk about the grieving process, sharing memories, and uncovering hope along the way. ann@groundinggrief.com

Ann recalls the early steps she and her family stumbled through as they faced the first holidays without Victoria. ann@groundinggrief.com

Following their discussion on suicide, Ann and Vickie talk about uncovering transformative gifts in grief. ann@groundinggrief.com

Vickie and Charlie became our friends through church. I remember when their son was born more than thirty years ago. Although they would divorce, they remained friends and raised him together. Just 11 days after Victoria's funeral, we would congregate in the same church at Charlie's. Like her death, his rocked our community. Warm, friendly, giving Charlie died by suicide. ann@groundinggrief.com

Ann reflects on the first four episodes and the ongoing nature of grief, along with the importance of listening. She ends reading Cori Doerrfeld's children's story, The Rabbit Listened. ann@groundinggrief.com

Maureen talks about the grief she has endured, and ways she has overcome it, as a result of undiagnosed narcissists in her life that have led to estrangement from her mother, sister, and her own children. ann@groundinggrief.com

Brynne discusses the layers of grief she and her husband, Andy, have endured during their more than three year journey to become parents. ann@groundinggrief.com

Stephan and Isabel join me to discuss how Mother's Day has been complicated for them. ann@groundinggrief.com

Circumstances that cause us to grieve are inevitable, they knock on everyone's door at least once, yet we often treat them as taboo. Talking about our grief experiences normalizes them. We can learn from those who have endured it, so that we might better serve others who grieve, as well as prepare ourselves to find grounding in grief when it visits us. In this first episode of Grounding Grief the host, Ann Beach, talks about her grief story as she faced the unexpected, violent death of her first-born child, Victoria, who was murdered by an ex-boyfriend on May 14, 2014. ann@groundinggrief.com

Podcast. Grounding Grief is a new podcast, dedicated to talking about grief. Grief visits all of us at least once, yet we are uncomfortable supporting those in its grip or facing it when it visits us. Conversations about grief help normalize it so that we may serve those as they endure grief and prepare ourselves to face it when it knocks on our door. The first episode will air on April 7. ann@groundinggrief.com