WELCOME TO OUR BLOG
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: Loss
How Do We Respond to Trauma in the Workplace? An Interview with Wilma Bass
If a crisis were to strike your workplace, what would you do?
Wilma Bass is the President of Trauma Outreach Associates, a Bay Area based company that provides crisis recovery services to business and organizations to help them “return to normalcy and productivity” after a trauma — like death, violence, or natural … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Crisis, Death, Loss, Mental health, Psychological trauma, Trauma Recovery, Vanessa Watt, Wilma Bass, Workplace Trauma
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Film Review: My Girl (1991)
"When your dad's an undertaker, your mom's in heaven, and your grandma's got a screw loose... it's good to have a friend who understands you."
After a more-than-twenty-year hiatus, I put on the movie My Girl this week, and I wasn’t prepared for how moved I would be by the end. My memories of the clips I’ve seen throughout my life promised a cheesy film about a … Continue reading
Mourning and Transformation — Sifting for Gold
A mourning father tries to make sense of his experience through an academic analysis of grief.
The following is an analysis by Jimmy Edmonds of a recent thesis “Mourning and Transformation — Sifting for Gold” by Fiona Rodman (MA University of Middlesex), a psychotherapist, and a dear family friend. Jimmy interprets some of Fiona’s ideas as they … Continue reading
How Did SevenPonds Come to Be?
We revisit our beginning
It’s been two years at SevenPonds since we launched our first blog post and it’s hard to believe we have arrived at our second anniversary already! What a wild ride it has been. I cannot begin to express how heartwarming … Continue reading
Tammy Bears Memorialize Loved Ones and Comfort You While You Grieve
These custom-made teddy bears use the clothing of loved ones you've lost to create a unique memento.
Shortly after my grandpa passed away, my grandma, always the glue that holds our extended family together, presented my cousins, siblings, and me with hand-crafted teddy bears built from Grandpa’s most notable outfits: his “old man jeans” and his flannel … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Crafts, Grief, Loss, Memorial Bears, Tammy Bears, Teddy bear
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Franny’s Last Ride by Mike DeStefano
The comedian and storyteller shares his struggle to support his wife at the end of life
Comedian Mike DeStefano died of a heart attack March 6, 2011. In 2007, he appeared with The Moth storytelling organization to tell the story of his wife, Fran, who was dying in hospice after a drug addiction and affliction with … Continue reading
Posted in Something Special
Tagged AIDS, Comedy, Franny's Last Ride, Hospice, Loss, Mike DeStefano, Substance abuse, The Moth
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“Nobody Wants to See a Clown in Pain”
Anthony Griffith made people laugh for a living, while suffering the ultimate heartbreak
Comedic actor Anthony Griffith was riding the final wave of the comedy boom in 1990 with three coveted appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He did all this while watching his daughter die of cancer. “It was the best … Continue reading
Grief and Regret
Examining the effect of loss in "Death of a Salesman"
***This post contains spoilers*** Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller’s most famous play, obviously has death in it; but I would argue that the most tragic part of the play is the failure of communication between the characters, particularly salesman … Continue reading
Posted in The Next Chapter
Tagged Arthur Miller, Biff Loman, Death of a Salesman, Grief, Loss, Suicide, Willy Loman
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A Beach Heart for Madeline
A glorious memorial to honor the loss of a loved one
This summer, Bay Area artist Page Hodel brought together family, friends, and fans of her Monday Hearts for Madalene to craft a heart from the most sympathetic medium she could find: humans. Dozens gathered at this beach on the Pacific … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Art, Bay Area, California, Flash mob, Loss, Memorial, Monday Hearts for Madalene, Ovarian Cancer, Pacific Ocean, Pacifica
2 Comments
Trauma After the Aurora Theater Shooting
Lessons from Carolyn L. Mears on this emotional shock
As we, in solidarity with individuals and organizations across the world, continue to express our sympathies to those affected by the tragedies of the Aurora theater shooting of July 20th, SevenPonds wants to touch on a subject we have yet … Continue reading
Posted in Something Special
Tagged Aurora, Aurora Theater Shooting, CNN, Columbine, Grief, Loss, Psychological trauma, Survivor guilt, University of Denver
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Gain Comfort and Solace Through Laughter
Frank & Funny greeting cards give you a unique way to offer your sympathies
A new greeting card line written exclusively by stand-up comedians offers road-tested jokes for all occasions. “Frank & Funny,” created by Seattle comedian David Crowe, even has a few cards that let you laugh out loud at aging, illness, and … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Aging, David Crowe, Death, end-of-life, Greeting card, Illness, Laughter, Loss, Stand-up comedy, Sympathy Cards
1 Comment
‘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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‘In Abstentia’
A sister's reaction to the absence and presence of her brother in the belongings he left behind
After the sudden and tragic death of their son, Joshua’s family turned their grief into a myriad of creative endeavors. Josh’s father Jimmy created a film for those recently bereaved and a book of photographs, writings and poetry to express … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Death, Family, Grief, Grief Loss and Bereavement, In absentia, Loss
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Loss of a Famous Father
Kate Rothko Prizel still mourns the loss of her father forty years after his famous suicide.
After losing her father, the painter Mark Rothko, to suicide and her mother to cardiovascular disease shortly after, the nineteen-year-old Kate Rothko Prizel thought she and her then-six-year-old brother would be fine. They were in the midst of the New … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Estate, Father's Day, Guardian, Kate Rothko, Loss, Mark Rothko, Painting
3 Comments
From a Mother’s Point of View
Robert Burns's poem conveys a mother's perspective on the loss of her son
Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and whether you were fortunate enough to get to spend time with yours or were perhaps laying flowers on her grave, I hope you took the time to appreciate her somehow. While SevenPonds paid tribute to … Continue reading
Posted in The Next Chapter
Tagged A Mother's Lament, Death, Loss, Mother's Day, Robert Burns
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Memorial Poems for Mother’s Day
Words to celebrate Mom even after she's gone
Your Mother is Always With You – Anonymous Your mother is always with you… She’s the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street. She’s the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks. She’s the cool hand … 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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A Memorial You Can See From the Heavens
Rancher in Argentina Designs His Ranch to Fulfill his Late Wife's Dream
If you’re set to fly over General Levalle, Argentina any time soon, keep an eye out for this spectacular design surrounding this family’s ranch. The gigantic guitar made of trees was the dream of Graciela Yraizoz, the matron of the … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Argentina, Art, Death, Design, Family, Loss, Memorial
2 Comments
How to deal with loss of a loved one? Interview with Pediatric Oncology Social Workers
Helping Children and Families Cope with Serious Illness, Loss, and End-of-Life
When a child is diagnosed with a serious illness, a myriad of medical, physical, financial, psychological, and social issues are suddenly thrust on a family. While doctors and nurses are busy at work with medical treatments, these medical social workers stand by to field the psycho-social concerns of patients and their families. Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Cancer, Children, Family, Health, Health care, Loss, medicine, Pediatric, Psychology, Social Work
2 Comments
Review: “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
The Poignant Book About A Child Coping with the Loss of His Father Turned into a Poorly-Critiqued Film in 2011
In the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key … Continue reading