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Welcome to the SevenPonds.com blog – a community-driven extension of SevenPonds.com! I hope you find comfort and community in the resources and stories featured here. I’m always happy to hear from readers and can be reached at suzette@sevenponds.com.
FEATURED
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10 Facts About Hospice Care You May Not Know" />
10 Facts About Hospice Care You May Not Know: NHPCO stresses that hospice is about living fully, not preparing for death. -
Man of Many Faces" />
Man of Many Faces: A niece says goodbye to her favorite gay uncle, in whom she confided about her own sexuality -
Last Rites: A Catholic Send-Off" />
Last Rites: A Catholic Send-Off: A look at the religion's final prayer procession for the dying
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Tag Archives: Healing
The Anthroposophical Perspective: Acceptance of Death in Life
The anthroposophical philosophy’s relationship Christianity and de-stigmatizing the dying process
At the turn of the century, the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) planted the first seeds for the anthroposophical movement, which continues to thrive today. Steiner became literally and figuratively an architect of our physical and emotional well-being. His design … Continue reading
“Death is a Dialogue” by Emily Dickinson
A dialogue between death and spirituality in an Emily Dickinson poem offers an interesting perspective
Emily Dickinson, one of the greatest American poets of all time, is no lightweight when it comes to exploring death. In her poem “Death is a Dialogue,” Dickinson touches on a few contrasting ideas that portray death as a complex … Continue reading
Posted in The Next Chapter
Tagged Afterlife, Death, Death is a Dialogue, Death Poem, Diction, Emily Dickinson, Healing, Metaphor, Mystical, Poetry, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality, Symbolism, Trust
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Book Review: The Art of Being a Healing Presence (2001)
How to help a loved one through a tough time
What does it mean to be a “healing presence”? Is being present a simple physical state — or is there something more to it? The Art of Being a Healing Presence, a slim 2001 book written by counselor and ordained … Continue reading
Posted in Lending Insight
Tagged Grief Counseling, Healing, Healing Process, helping loved ones grieve
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What is Spiritual Healing? – An Interview with Dale Borglum
Considering conscious dying and spiritual healing as we plan for the end-of-life
Dale Borglum is the founder and Executive Director of the Living/Dying Project, a group that offers healing to those at the end-of-life and their caregivers. Dale has had a long and impressive career in healing, spirituality, and caring for dying … Continue reading
Return to the Sea
Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto aid the artist's healing through grief.
Return to the Sea: Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto from John Reynolds & Lee Donaldson on Vimeo. Japanese installation artist Motoi Yamamoto was born in Onomichi, Hiroshima, and worked in a dockyard before studying at Kanazawa College of Art. He now … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Art, Design, Grief, Healing, Motoi Yamamoto, Salt Labyrinth
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What are the Effects of Trauma? – An Interview with Carolyn Lunsford Mears, Part 1
Understanding the full effects of trauma from death on those who've survived a life-changing event
In 1999, Carolyn Mears’ son was a student at Columbine High School in Colorado, where a horrifying mass shooting claimed the lives of 12 students and 1 teacher. She now serves as dissertation advisor and adjunct faculty at the University … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Aurora Theater Shooting, Bowling For Columbine, Columbine, Columbine High School, Columbine Killing, Columbine Shooting, Coping With Sudden Death, Coping With Unexpected Loss, Grief, Healing, PTSD, Survivor guilt, Tragedy, trauma, Trauma From Death, Traumatic Event
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A Fatal Car Accident
What it means to lose your best friend and gain a new outlook
This is Sergio’s story as told by Katie…. Coming up on the fourth year anniversary of my best friend’s death, I look back on what his life and death meant to me. I was twenty years old and in the … Continue reading
‘Your Sister’s Sister’ explores personal ways of coping with loss
A film that explores grief, loss, death, and relationships
For a film that deals with the various angles of grief and loss, and delves into the depths of facing emotions and maintaining relationships, check out Your Sister’s Sister. Synopsis A year has passed since Jack’s brother’s untimely death sent … Continue reading
Posted in Something Special
Tagged Coping with Grief, Family, Grief, Healing, Loss, Lynn Shelton, Mark Duplass, Relationships, Rosemarie DeWitt, Your Sister's Sister
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What are Crystal Singing Bowls? An Interview with Candace Keach
Sounds of solace
Candace Keach is the artistic director of the Spiral Sound of Crystal Bowls, a performance group which creates a soothing auditory and visual immersion experience through the playing of symmetrically arranged, vibrating crystal bowls. Antal: Thanks for speaking with us, … Continue reading
What is Reiki? An Interview with Michelle Wallace
How Reiki and Qigong can help soothe and heal both the grieving and the chronically ill
Michelle Wallace has been teaching Pilates since 2004 and also offers Reiki and Qigong sessions. She holds a BA from UC Berkeley and an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Kelly: First of all, could you tell us a … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Grief, Healing, Michelle Wallace, Qigong, Reiki
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Book Review: Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Redefining what it means to be strong mentally and physically in the face of loss
A few weeks ago, I was very pleased to find a book had magically downloaded on my Kindle. I forgot I’d preordered it months ago after reading Cheryl Strayed’s essay, “The Love of My Life.” After her mother died suddenly … Continue reading
Exploring Grief, Loss, Death and Dying
Bloggers exploring the end-of-life through poetry, art, and prose.
Exploring Death This anonymous blogger created the blog entitled SarSaparillameliSSa to explore her world through photography and the written word. “The Tree that Bleeds” is a poem dedicated to exploring death. Here’s an excerpt: Long sunset shadows chill his bones. … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Art, Blogging, Death, Grief, Healing, Loss, Poetry
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Film Review: Garden State (2004)
Loss of mother leads to self-discovery in this quirky indie film
Garden State begins with protagonist Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) being informed via phone message that his paraplegic mother has died after a tragic bathtub accident. The death serves as a sort of trigger to the rest of the action: when … Continue reading
Exploring the Traditions of Greece
How a funeral rite has outlasted the centuries
One of the most seldom discussed funeral rites in our culture happens to be one of the most ancient. What started in 1100 B.C. Greece is still largely practiced today. In archaic times, Greeks either buried or cremated their loved … Continue reading
Art Guides Children and Parents Through Grief
"Dancing with Midwives" Expresses One Woman's Grieving Process After the Loss of a Child
Author Ann Faison‘s understanding of grief began with her own grieving process after giving birth to her still-born child. She is trained as a visual artist, a musician, and a healer, so her healing process naturally leads to a focus … Continue reading
Posted in Something Special
Tagged Art, Books, Children, Grief, Grief Loss and Bereavement, Healing, Loss of a Child
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Helping Children Heal Through Art Therapy
Custom-made Stuffed Toys "Stuffies" Help Children Express Their Emotions -- and Bring Their Creations to Life.
Child’s Own Studio began with a simple gift for a 4-year-old boy and bloomed into a full-fledged craft business, which has made hundreds of unique “softies” – stuffed toys for children based on their own drawings. Child’s Own works to … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Art, Art therapy, Child, Craft, Grief, Healing, Stuffed toy, terminal illness, Toys
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Film Review: Up (2009)
How Pixar makes a floating house lead to a healing journey in one of the greatest animated love stories
Pixar (for those who are unaware) is that magical Emeryville-based animation company that can do no wrong (except, perhaps, for the Cars franchise; otherwise, their output is perfection). In 2009, Pixar released what may be its magnum opus to date: … Continue reading
Posted in Lending Insight
Tagged Film Review, Grief, Grief Loss and Bereavement, Healing, Losing a Partner, Love, Marriage, Pixar, Up
3 Comments
Healing Through Wisconsin Farmscapes
WI Artist Kari Radl Painted While Her Father Fought Brain Cancer
From the artist’s statement: “In December of 2006, my father was diagnosed with brain cancer. This series of paintings began while we fought this enemy. After the craniotomy, while he healed, I painted. You can see my techniques slowly grow and mature throughout … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Art, Farmscapes, Grief, Healing, Kari Radl, Loss, Painting, Wisconsin
3 Comments
The Labyrinthine Path through Grief
Artist Motoi Yamamoto's installations are exercises to aid his healing.
Japanese installation artist Motoi Yamamoto was born in Onomichi, Hiroshima, and worked in a dockyard before studying at Kanazawa College of Art. He now lives in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. After his sister’s death to brain cancer over a decade ago, … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Art, Cancer, Death, Grief, Healing, Installation, Japan, Motoi Yamamoto
3 Comments
Grief, Loss, and Bereavement in Children
Comfort Zone Bereavement Camps offer a healing space for grieving kids
Often, funerals or memorial services offer adults the opportunity to remember loved ones and to say goodbye, but they do not do the same for children, who are less able to connect with people at these services or to understand … Continue reading
Posted in Something Special
Tagged Bereavement camp, Children, Grief, Grief Loss and Bereavement, Healing, Support group
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