Category: Hope

• When We Are Changed

  I had a conversation with someone recently about how chronic health issues have affected their lives. Where we landed was in the fact that they are, and life is, completely altered from how it was before getting sick. The grief associated with this is real, powerful, and ongoing. And not unlike grief from loss of…

  healinghandcrafting

  January 29, 2025

  Grief, Hope

  Bradie Hansen, choice, courage, Grief, hero’s journey, long-term grief, loss, mental health, Pamela Blair, The Long Grief Journey

• Tenderness Scavenger Hunt

  Overly simplistic? – NopeWaste of time? – Uh-uhOut of touch with reality? – Not at all Tenderness, kindness, love… it’s all around us. It helps to look for it. In The Long Grief Journey, we talk about going on a Tenderness Scavenger Hunt. When things feel bleak, overwhelming, unfair… it really does shift things when…

  healinghandcrafting

  November 12, 2024

  Hope

  awareness, Bradie Hansen, Grief, grief book, grief support, Hope, kindness, love, mental health, Pamela Blair, tenderness, The Long Grief Journey

• Perfect Words

  We are entering the season parties, holidays, gatherings, and traditions. Whether we live with or socialize with many people, or live alone and have a smaller social circle, it’s tough not notice or absorb the energy that goes with it all. It can be so hard, even years after a loss, to do all the…

  healinghandcrafting

  November 11, 2024

  Grief, Hope

  being with feelings, bereavement, Bradie Hansen, Grief, grieving, holidays, long-term grief, longing, loss, love, mental health, Pamela Blair, struggling, Support, The Long Grief Journey

• Unruly, Unplanned Growth

  I’ve been MIA this summer, at least on the social media front. Grieving and putting myself out there don’t mix well, so I’ve taken some time to settle in and let myself feel so much of what grief brings. It’s been pretty challenging at times. As anyone who has grieved knows, the path is winding…

  healinghandcrafting

  August 20, 2024

  Grief, Hope

  Bradie Hansen, Grief, loss, love, new growth, Pamela Blair, pumpkin plant, The Long Grief Journey

• Why the Winter Solstice Can Help With Grief

  by Bradie Hansen In the northern hemisphere, the darkening of the light is approaching its pinnacle. The winter solstice is on Thursday, December 21st and that night will be the longest night of darkness of the year. Then the subtle tilt toward incremental lightening of the dark will begin on the 22nd. The solstices are…

  healinghandcrafting

  December 16, 2023

  Grief, Hope

  darkness, depression, Grief, healing, light, long-term grief, love, mental health, nature, practices, sadness, solstice, The Long Grief Journey, winter, winter solstice, yule

• A Message from Pamela Blair

  As a psychotherapist for over thirty years I’ve counseled hundreds of people experiencing long-term grief and sudden loss, including those whose loved ones died during the 911 attacks. However, one of the most deeply felt experiences of all has been the result of leading the Loss of a Loved One support group I started in January of…

  healinghandcrafting

  December 8, 2023

  Grief, Hope, Support, Uncategorized

  All Souls, bereavement, depression, Grief, grief support group, Hope, hopeless, long-term grief, loss, love, mental health, mourning, Pamela Blair, prolonged grief, Shelburne, Support, Support Group, The Long Grief Journey, Vermont