What does it mean to transform grief?
Read an interesting interview with Lyn Prashant, a grief counselor with over 24 years experience, as she discusses what it means to transform grief, turning it into something that’s “workable.” Not making us better, but helping us to work through the pain. Giving us hope.
Memorial prompt – space
Today is the anniversary of humankind’s first landing on the moon in 1969.
Was your loved one alive then? What did he or she feel about space travel?
Today is a great day to remember someone you love.
Memorial prompt – movies
In 1975, Sony released the Betamax videocassette recorder, selling it for $995.
Did your loved one record home movies? What’s the funniest event from a home movie captured about them?
Today is a great day to remember, and smile.
Memorial prompts – work and play
Today is:
- National Leave the Office Earlier Day
- Say Something Nice Day
In history:
- In 1938, Superman made his debut in the June issue of Action Comics #1.
- 45 years ago, in 1967, the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
What do these thoughts bring to mind about your loved one? Today is a great day to remember, and smile.
Memorial prompt – sports?
Today commemorates:
- The anniversary of the first Indy 500 in 1911. Ray Harroun won with an average speed of 74.6 mph.
- 30 years ago, in 1982, Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken took the baseball field and began a consecutive-games-played streak that lasted until Sept 6, 1995.
What was your loved one’s favorite sport to play? Watch? Or were they anti-sports?
Grieving mothers, grieving the loss of a mother
Mothers day is a tough time for many of us, for many reasons, but especially if you are grieving the loss of a mother, or if you are a mother grieving the loss of a child.
Through your memories, over time, by honoring those you love, you can come to find peace in your loss.
Read the story of one woman’s journey through four years of intense grief, and through blogging, coming out and finding strength in her ability to improve the world through remembering her son:
Reclaiming joy-Once drowning inside grieving mom finds strength in honoring her son
Memorial prompts – soldiers and flowers
Today is:
- El Salvador: Day of the Soldier
- Children’s Book Week (May 7-13). See www.bookweekonline.com
- National Stuttering Awareness Week (May 7-13). See www.stutteringhelp.org
- National Wildflower Week (May 7-13). See www.wildflower.org
- In 1824, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony premiered at Vienna, Austria.
What memories of your loved one do these bring to mind? Write it out, and invite otheres to share their memories too.
Memorial prompts – religion, military, and parenting
There are lots of interesting things that happened today in history to help spark our memories:
- Today is Robert’s Rules Day: 175 th birth anniversary of Henry M. Robert (1837-1923), brigadier general and author of Robert’s Rules of Order (1876).
- In 1611, the King James Version of the Bible was published.
- In 1945, Soviet marshal Georgi Zhukov accepted the surrender of Berlin, the German capital.
- In 2011, Al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden was killed in a raid conducted by a US Navy SEAL team in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
- Death anniversary of artist, scientist and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519).
- Birth anniversary of pediatrician and author Benjamin Spock (1903-98).
What memories do these bring to mind? Was your loved one in the military? A religious person? An artist? A loving parent? Write about what these items bring to mind, and invite others to share their memories too.
Memorial prompts – jobs, childhood, and superheroes
Today is:
- May Day
- Executive Coaching Day
- Mother Goose Day
- New Home Owner’s Day
- School Principals’ Day
- The Anniversary of Batman’s debut in Detective Comics #27 in 1939.
What do these items bring to your mind about your loved one? Spend a few minutes today remembering and sharing your memories with others.
My dad always loved a good superhero story. But my mom didn’t care for them so much so he used to go to the movies alone on occasion. I didn’t know about that till I was much older. Too bad, I would have gone with him!
Memorial prompts – laundry and good causes
Today is:
- National Hanging Out Day. See www.laundrylist.org
- What did your loved one do with their laundry? Was it a love/hate relationship? Were they organized, doing a little every day, or was it sabed until they couldn’t ignore it anymore? What does their laundry tell us about…who they were? :)
- National High Five Day. See www.nationalhighfiveday.com
- NH5D is a day to give high-fives to everyone to encourage them to support cancer research. Was your loved one affected by cancer? Would they have given to support this cause if they were still alive today?
Have you started a memorial blog? Did you write something from these prompts? Please share in the comments below!