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 of a Loved One
“Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole
The popular funeral song that’s tried and true for a reason
Creating a playlist for a loved one’s funeral can be a difficult task. What kind of message are you looking for in a funeral song? What’s the right tone to set? What kind of emotions will the songs bring about? … Continue reading
What is Grief Support for Neonatal Death? An Interview with Ellen Daley
A place where parents can find support after losing a child
Ellen Kelly Daley is the president of the board of directors at HAND, a resource network of parents, professionals, and volunteers who provide support for those who have lost a baby before, during, or after birth. She is a professional … Continue reading
Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The young adult novel that takes on death, love and loss
The Fault in Our Stars is about as YA as it gets — the snarky attitudes, teen love dramas and arguments with parents all scream young adult fiction. The only thing differentiating this book from so many others is its … Continue reading
Film Review: That’s “Amour”
A couple’s love is tested in anticipation of death in Michael Haneke’s latest film.
Austrian director Michael Haneke’s Oscar winning film is not easy, nor pleasurable to watch. Because one can’t just watch Amour—they have to experience it, and become invested in its characters to a degree that is rare in the movies today. … Continue reading
Posted in Lending Insight
Tagged Amour, Austria, Caregiving, Death, Depression, Emmanuelle Riva, France, French Cinema, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Lending Insight, Loss of a Loved One, Love, Michael Heneke, Old age, oscars, Stroke
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Le Suicidé by Manet
How the depiction of a suicide reflects loss and the unknown
Among Manet’s many famous paintings, Le Suicidé has received much less attention, most likely due to the fact that critics and scholars have a difficult time placing it among his other works. At its most basic level, the painting portrays … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Death and Dying, Édouard Manet, End-of-life Art, Grief, Le Suicidé, Loss of a Loved One, Manet, Suicide, Suicide in Art
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Book Review: The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri
Sensitive, honest portrayal of loss in the story of the Ganguli family
The family saga is a tried-and-true literary genre, one that usually follows a central clan as they grow, marry, have children, age and eventually die. There’s a certain rhythm to these types of stories — unlike so many other novels, … Continue reading
How Can We Preserve Memory with DNA? An Interview with Ryan Lehto
The benefits of preserving our loved one's memory with DNA
Today we talk with Ryan Lehto, one of the founders of DNA Memorial. Ryan Lehto graduated from Lakehead University with a Bachelor’s in Biology and a Master’s in Molecular Biology with a specialization in DNA. As an accredited DNA scientist, his … Continue reading
Coming Soon: The Afterlife of Billy Fingers by Annie Kagan
A sneak preview of the book and the afterlife
Years ago, I went to a past life regression therapy session with Dr. Peter Wright, an experienced hypnotherapist. I don’t tell many people this story for a couple of reasons. For one, most people I know aren’t entirely comfortable with … 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
Coping with Grief on Valentine’s Day
How to honor your loved one and care for yourself on this holiday for lovers
Holidays can be some of the toughest times to cope with grief. Valentine’s Day in particular, already perpetuating a feeling of loneliness in anyone who doesn’t have a significant other to celebrate with, can shine a spotlight on the loss … Continue reading
Book Review: Healing After Loss, by Martha W. Hickman
Sorting your way through grief a little at a time, day by day
As we approach the holidays, it can be both a joyful and a sorrowful time for those who have lost loved ones. For a season that cherishes time spent with friends and family, it can be also be a harsh … Continue reading
Summers on the Farm
How I learned the meaning of strength from my grandfather
This is Suzette’s story, as told by Katie Ryan. Of all his closest grandkids, I think I understood him the most. My grandfather, Otto, and I were always very close. As a kid, I would spend every summer with him … Continue reading
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
Book Review: “Making Toast”
The beautiful, tragic story of a grandfather losing his daughter
In his 2010 memoir, Making Toast, Roger Rosenblatt paints a beautiful portrait of what it means to lose someone too soon. After his daughter, Amy, dies suddenly of a rare heart abnormality, Rosenblatt and his wife move in with their … Continue reading
Controversial Art Finds a Home in the East Bay
Varese Layzer's Artwork Joins Others' Addressing the Loss of a Loved One
Photographer Varese Layzer has found a welcoming home for her collection Making Room, photographs that document her experience of clearing out her childhood home after her mother’s death. Nine months ago, the collection was removed from its promised (and contracted) … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Art, Installation, Krowswork, Loss of a Loved One, photography, San Francisco Bay Area, Video
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Book Review: “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” by Dave Eggers
A Memoir of a Strange and Unique Life After the Loss of a Loved One
Through his popular memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, San Francisco author Dave Eggers chronicles his experience raising his younger brother Toph after the family loses each of their parents to cancer. The book is, indeed, at times heartbreaking … Continue reading
Film Review: The Descendants
Looking into all the Oscar buzz and pleasantly surprised by a film's message
Amidst Oscar buzz and recent nominations, it seems only fitting to head to the movies this weekend. I’m sure it came as no surprise to see The Artist among the nominees, but who ever thought a romantic comedy about a … Continue reading
An Unexpected Loss
How Losing My Mom Clarified My Life
This is the story of Jamaica, as told by Suzette Sherman. When it happened, I had no idea my mom was in Florida. My Aunt Janice found her. She was lying on the floor in my uncle’s kitchen, no cups … Continue reading