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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Our Annual Seven Holiday Gifts for Someone Who Is Grieving, 2024 Edition: Gracious gifts that spread love and beauty -
“Making Mobiles” by Karolina Merska: An artist’s manual on how to create beautiful Polish pajaki -
“Hands Up to the Sky” by Michael Franti & Spearhead: A surprisingly upbeat song about acknowledging both loss and the beauty of life
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Categories
Tag Archives: Mourning
The Jewish Mourning Tradition of Shiva
An exploration into the meaning and rituals of Shiva
When a practicing member of Judaism dies, the first stage of the mourning traditions is Shiva. The word “Shiva” means seven and originates from the beginning of the Torah, when Joseph mourned the loss of his father Jacob for seven … Continue reading
History of a Suicide: My Sister’s Unfinished Life by Jill Bialosky
An emotionally-charged and informative memoir of the author’s quest to understand what led to her youngest sister’s suicide
When news of Robin Williams’ suicide broke, I was already immersed in reading Jill Bialosky’s History of a Suicide, a beautiful, emotionally charged and highly informative memoir of her trying to come to terms and understand what led her youngest … Continue reading
Fearing the Return of the Dead in Romani Burial Traditions
Romani funeral traditions are heavily influenced by beliefs in the supernatural
Romani funeral traditions are characterized by abundance. Enormous, full of relatives, public mourning and solemn ritual, their burial rites amount to a massive procession taken very seriously by everyone involved. Their zeal may arise from a widespread belief in the … Continue reading
Why Do We Wear Black Funeral Attire Versus White?
A look at the religious and cultural meanings behind the colors of funeral attire
For many Americans, black seems to be the most common color to wear as funeral attire. Why is that? And why do some religious and cultural groups tend to wear white to funerals? Much of the color choice within religious … Continue reading
Artist Dario Robleto: Heaven is Being a Memory to Others
Contemporary Artist Dario Robleto explores the relationship between death and memory
The 2008 Frye Art Museum exhibit, Heaven is Being a Memory to Others, provided a space for artists to present pieces about death, life and memory in conversation – particularly artists like Dario Robleto. The show was described as having … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Contemporary Art, Creatvity, Dario Robleto, Death, Death and art, Emma Frye, Frye Art Museum, Grieving, Life and Death, Loss, Memory, memory and loss, Mourning, Patsy Cline
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Italian Funeral Traditions
A look into Italian cultural beliefs about death and funeral traditions
As a culture, Italians are often inclined towards heavily theatrical rituals when it comes to major life events. Death and funerals, however, are exceptions: these focus more on the seriousness and the finality of death. Informed by the teachings of Catholicism, the … Continue reading
