Posts from May 2026

Memories

May 26, 2026
Greg Crosby
First Person

With age comes an increased awareness of what used to be. Mental pictures from the distant past grow sharper, more in focus almost than more recent events. The images are clear; the voices strong and resonant; and the tastes and smells are as keen as ever. I’ve come to understand that what has gone by is not really gone at all; it is, all of it, still here within me, within reach. I have only to give over my mind, allowing a slight opening for the images to enter and there they are – rich and precious and alive.

Left Behind

May 26, 2026
HOPE Connection
Poetry, Videos

Often, poets capture the feelings following the death of our loved one in ways that transcend words. Westley Nash does exactly that in this short poem, read by the author, Left Behind.

The Colors of Grief

Spring is finally here! Winter felt like forever this year. Now, we’re watching the miracle of Nature as life slowly comes back to our landscapes that were changed by the harshness of Winter and natural disasters. The charred California mountains are now filled with beautiful colors of blue lupine, orange poppies and the golden mustard plant. Do you feel it? The colorful…

Walking Between Two Worlds

“I was taught to bury with the dead the presence of my grief…
But when a shattered heart is desperate, the only respite is to let somebody in.”
— From “Home” by Sara Bareilles

A HOPE Connection grief group is certainly the place where grief is shared. Our loved ones are honored over and over as members say, Tell me your story. I’ll tell you mine.

It is the sacred place of sharing grief and fond memories and letting someone else in.

Viktor Frankl, psychologist, author and Holocaust survivor, coined the term “tragic optimism” as the ability to sustain hopefulness despite the unavoidable trials and tribulations of being human. This is not just a happy face that you put on. It’s a way of seeing purpose in grief, a way of embracing the highs and lows of full humanity.