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
-
First the Wealth Gap, Now the U.S. Has a Growing Health Gap:
Discover why the U.S. health gap is growing and how improving healthspan can enhance quality of life for Americans -
How to Comfort A Dying Loved One:
End-of-life expert Dr. Marianne Matzo explains some simple ways to offer solace -
Our Annual Seven Holiday Gifts for Someone Who Is Grieving, 2024 Edition:
Gracious gifts that spread love and beauty
-
Categories
Author Archives: Cara Olexa (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)
I Lost My Father Twice — Once to Dementia and Once to a Flawed DNA Test
My father worried I wasn't his biological son, and my siblings set out to prove it after he died. Their behavior broke my heart and destroyed my sense of who I was.
This is Joseph’s story as told to Cara Olexa. Our “Opening Our Hearts” stories are based on people’s real-life experiences. By sharing these experiences publicly, we hope to help our readers feel less alone in their grief and, ultimately, to … Continue reading
Posted in Opening our Hearts
2 Comments
My Mother’s Hollow Final Goodbye Broke My Heart
My mother’s goodbye to my father broke a new piece of my heart; she didn’t love me or my father how we wanted, but I hoped until the end that she could
This is Suzanne’s story as told to Cara Olexa by her daughter. Our “Opening Our Hearts” stories are based on people’s real-life experiences. By sharing these experiences publicly, we hope to help our readers feel less alone in their grief … Continue reading
Posted in Opening our Hearts
2 Comments
“A Monster Calls” by Patrick Ness, Illustrated by Jim Kay
In this book, 13-year-old Conor dreams about a monster, but the words he's afraid to say about his dying mother are much scarier
“A Monster Calls” was an award-winning young adult novel before it was a movie based on the book. Written by Patrick Ness and illustrated by Jim Kay, the book grew from an original idea by author Siobhan Dowd, who died … Continue reading
Posted in Lending Insight
2 Comments
Photos, Dying and Living: Kate Schutt’s “Square by Square”
Kate sings about her mom’s labor of love before dying: organizing the family photos
Kate Schutt was with her mom, Katharine, when the doctor said the word cancer and everything changed forever. CT scan, de-bulking surgery, biopsy: Katharine’s ovarian cancer was a carcinosarcoma, deadlier than the carcinoma her sister had survived. The last chapter … Continue reading
Posted in Expressive Music
Leave a comment
Do Robot Pets for Older Adults with Dementia Help Ease Loneliness?
Should you buy a robot pet for your older family member who’s living with dementia? As with so many questions, the answer is complicated
This holiday season, we can buy more robot toys than ever before — robots for the whole family, from kids to young-at-heart adults. Robot pets, from robotic cats that vibrate while purring to a whole pack of tail-wagging electronic dogs, … Continue reading
Posted in Something Special
1 Comment
My Mother Died When I Was Seven
Her bowling ball was all I had to remind me of her, so why did I leave it in the desert?
This is the story of Cara as written by her. Our “Opening Our Hearts” stories are based on people’s real-life experiences. By sharing these experiences publicly, we hope to help our readers feel less alone in their grief and, ultimately, … Continue reading
Posted in Opening our Hearts
8 Comments