Documenting your Grief: Journal Your Way Through There are so many misconceptions about grief.  Those that have not experienced the loss of a loved one believe that grief has stages and an expiration date.  Those that are grief avoidant step away from the negative emotions and try to make things better for the bereaved by [...]

Coping with Grief and the Holidays Traditions that have been carried out for many years, may look different right now. I am often asked, do I put up a tree, send out cards, cook traditional dishes, keep everything as it was last year, change it or do nothing at all? Your energy levels may feel [...]

Why More Families are Choosing to Prearrange Than Ever Before The “New Normal.” This sure is a phrase that we have all heard a lot of lately. Reality seems to look different nearly every day, and changes are just a part of life. When things are uncertain, we inherently do what we can to prepare [...]

Preparing the Gardens for Fall and Winter We are very busy at St. Charles Memorial Gardens preparing the gardens for the winter. There is a lot we do now to set the cemetery up for success through the winter and into the spring.   We will be placing green flags in the cemetery. These are [...]

Creating Community During a Time of Mourning: You Are Not Alone 2020 has been a difficult and unique year for everyone, but if you are someone that has encountered a loss during this unprecedented time, it may seem that the upcoming holidays will be too much to bear. Dealing with toxic relatives, a busier schedule [...]

Helping Yourself Heal During the Holiday Season by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D. Holidays are often difficult for anyone who has experienced the death of someone loved. Rather than being times of family togetherness, sharing and thanksgiving, holidays can bring feelings of sadness, loss and emptiness. Love Does Not End With Death Since love does not [...]

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COVID-19, Grief Overload, and Secondary Trauma: Coping with Too Much Loss by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D.   For many funeral directors, COVID-19 has been a nonstop wrecking ball. It has swung back and forth across the globe, decimating families and communities. And who’s there in the midst of the ongoing crisis, providing care to the [...]

Ten Freedoms for Using Ceremony During the COVID-19 Pandemic  by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D. If someone you love has died during the novel coronavirus pandemic, you have come to grief in an exceptionally challenging moment in history. You may have been separated from your loved one as they were dying. You may have been unable [...]

Condolences in the Time of COVID-19 Guidance for Conveying Your Love and Support by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D. When someone dies—of COVID-19 or any cause—during this pandemic, their loved ones are being left to grieve in especially harrowing circumstances. They may not have been able to be by the dying person’s side in the hospital [...]

Caring for Caregivers During Crisis by Kristen Ernst, LPC, Director of Grief Services Self-care has become a buzzword among the helping profession for quite some time.  People are almost shamed into doing it.  Many times, we are told, “It should be a part of your everyday routine, and without it, you cannot care for others [...]