tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54549851119098168332012-01-28T02:22:28.850-05:00Mother Grieving Loss of Child - http://mothergrievinglossofchild.blogspot.com/Hello! Welcome to my blog! I'm Angie Bennett Prince, a psychotherapist, a Christian, and a grieving mother. On 8/2/06, I lost my precious 19-yr-old daughter Merry Katherine. Here I share the agonizing process of my grief that is faithfully met with the love of my Comforter God. I pray it will minister to your hurt and grief, and that through it, you will feel our Comforter God wrapping His loving arms around you. Please feel free to contact me at MotherGrieving (at) gmail (dot) com.Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.comBlogger7261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-25843558736356746672012-01-28T01:14:00.021-05:002012-01-28T02:22:28.866-05:00Saturday's Sayings - Grieving Fathers Write...Saturday's Sayings Grieving Fathers Write... Tapestry Perhaps life is but a tapestry Far larger than the sky, Stretching in panoramic splendor from The dawn of time until suns die. Perhaps each of us is a single thread, Into the tapestry briefly woven and Blended with related fibers forming A splotch of harmonized beauty, Lending transient continuity. Perhaps, beyond our comprehension, A Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-6516847511870797542012-01-27T01:10:00.012-05:002012-01-27T01:37:33.105-05:00Friday's Faith - God Answers "A Grieving Mother's 'Day Off'"Friday's Faith God Answers "A Grieving Mother's 'Day Off'" To the poem I wrote on Tuesday's Trust, today I bring you on Friday's Faith, God's response... But first, the poem: A Grieving Mother's "Day Off" It's a day off ~ you'd think I'd have no cares. I go to sleep ~ awaken to nightmares... You needed help ~ there was no help I'd find; I saw the one ~ who'd always helped... was blind. Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-17577454472842653982012-01-26T01:25:00.008-05:002012-01-26T02:01:25.632-05:00Thursday's Therapy - Sleeplessness and the Adrenal Glands ~via FoxNews.com/healthThursday's TherapySleeplessness and the Adrenal Glands~via FoxNews.com/healthInteresting news we thought might be pertinent for us weary child-loss grievers in regard to our sleeplessness possibly being related to our overly-stressed adrenal glands...From"Are you tired all the time?" Written By Eleni N. Gage Published January 25, 2012 Real Simple Renewing your energy is possible, once you learn Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-91828621914751402052012-01-25T05:45:00.010-05:002012-01-25T06:10:45.821-05:00Wednesday's Woe - Grief's Prisoner Wednesday's Woe Grief's Prisoner Prisoner in my own body. Held hostage. Can't trust my own being anymore. 3:00 a.m. ~ awake again. Not just awake. Wide awake. 4 hours of sleep. I need 8. But, I get up, go to the restroom...Now I am awake. Strike that. It is more like, now I am Hypervigilant! No longer can I just go to the restroom, then fall back in bed and crash back into a sound sleep. AsAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-8915712989184986502012-01-23T22:45:00.011-05:002012-01-23T23:10:35.828-05:00Tuesday's Trust - A Grieving Mother's "Day Off"Tuesday's TrustA Grieving Mother's "Day Off"It's a day off ~ you'd think I'd have no cares.I go to sleep ~ awaken to nightmares...You needed help ~ there was no help I'd find;I saw the one ~ who'd always helped... was blind.Is this my life ~ suspended in mid-air?What is my crime? For you, I'll always care.A mommy's love ~ should soothe your hurts away.But when I look ~ I see you've gone away.YourAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-74531659166859566802012-01-22T17:19:00.013-05:002012-01-22T17:44:21.828-05:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - Come Unto Me ~Nicole C. MullenCome unto Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest...Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,for I am gentle and humble in heart,and you will find rest for your souls,for My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.~Matthew 11:28-30Monday's Mourning MinistryCome Unto Me~Nicole C. Mullen Come Unto Me ~Nicole C. Mullen Are you looking for someone to be gentle With your brokenAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-4678845751992849032012-01-21T21:19:00.023-05:002012-01-22T00:19:55.431-05:00Saturday's Sayings - You Can Never Prepare... ~ You Can Never Prepare For The Moments That Change Your Life ~ Saturday's Sayings You Can Never Prepare... ***** ~Grieving Mothers Grief has dropped a bomb in your life. You are shattered, blasted, blown apart and all but nearly destroyed. Amongst the shards, amongst the debris, you live. You don't know how. You can't see. You can do nothing but feel the pain that is within Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-41429555950726316942012-01-20T11:30:00.007-05:002012-01-20T20:16:11.650-05:00Friday's Faith - God's Way versus "My-Way" HighwayFriday's FaithGod's Way versus "My-Way" Highway I am perusing the book, On mission with God: living God's purpose for His glory, by Henry T. Blackaby and Avery T. Willis. Blackaby is the author of the amazing Bible Study guide called, Experiencing God. These are the Seven Realities taught in Experiencing God: 1) God is at work all the time. 2) He initiates a personal loving relationship withAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-62806790084967962642012-01-18T21:35:00.009-05:002012-01-18T22:04:44.706-05:00Thursday's Therapy - Writing to heal: (Is It How You Write that Counts?) Thursday's Therapy Writing to heal: (Is It How You Write that Counts?) ~with Bridget Murray, (Monitor Staff of the American Psychological Association) By helping people manage and learn from negative experiences, writing strengthens their immune systems as well as their minds. By BRIDGET MURRAY Monitor Staff, American Psychological Association June 2002, Vol 33, No. 6 Print version: page Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-88606291038866726672012-01-17T22:18:00.010-05:002012-01-17T22:42:45.644-05:00Wednesday's Woe - How Do You Celebrate Life... Amidst Death?Wednesday's Woe How Do You Celebrate Life...Amidst Death? Going through holidays seems doubly depressive. Going through a child's birthday, I KNOW I am so different than years before, and I get depressed at the loss of myself, the loss of who I once was on their birthdays. And then on top of that, I have the realization that THEY KNOW I am so different, when their day is not made as special asAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-4041250991243394772012-01-16T21:35:00.007-05:002012-01-16T21:55:43.823-05:00Tuesday's Trust - "My Hero" ~by Stephanie PrinceTuesday's Trust"My Hero" ~by Stephanie PrinceWhen Rollin and I went by to have lunch with Rollin's wife, (my daughter-in-law), Stephanie at her 4th-grade-class where she teaches at Brickey Elementary School last week, Rollin pulled down from her bulletin board the following paper Stephanie had written and shared with her fellow teachers and the students at her school a while back. As I read it, Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-78882873135337545372012-01-15T20:45:00.009-05:002012-01-15T21:07:24.353-05:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - All Who Are Thirsty ~KutlessMonday's Mourning MinistryAll Who Are Thirsty~Kutless All Who are Thirsty ~Kutless All who are thirsty All who are weak Just come to the fountain Dip your heart in the stream of life Let the pain and the sorrow Be washed away In the waves of His mercy As the deep cries out to deep We sing, come Lord Jesus, come Come Lord Jesus, come Come Lord Jesus, come Come Lord Jesus, come All who Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-70608212678108776972012-01-13T23:37:00.013-05:002012-01-14T00:53:43.739-05:00Saturday's Sayings - Why You Should Be Suspicious of Stories About Grief & HealingSaturday's SayingsWhy You Should Be Suspicious of Stories About Grief & Healing~by Cath Duncan~with Tyler CowenYesterday a good friend of mine posted this video of Tyler Cowen, an economist, speaking about why we should be suspicious of stories. Tyler’s point: Stories make a messy reality seem neat, purposeful, meaningful, and that’s one of the reasons why our brains love stories. But the Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-13347256221873473102012-01-12T23:36:00.016-05:002012-01-16T07:25:10.627-05:00Friday's Faith - What Did You Bring When You Came to "Minister" to Me? Friday's FaithWhat Did You Bring When You Came to "Minister" to Me? When you came to visit me, what did you bring To this mother with her child whose life is now at stake? Tell me, what did you risk with your vain offering To shoot the breeze, whine, laugh awhile - was this all a mistake? Before you came, were you prayed up, laid up, cried out, before God plied out? Or winded from your Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-55265915793915844282012-01-11T23:24:00.012-05:002012-01-12T00:13:30.109-05:00Thursday's Therapy - 5 Essential Steps to Authenticity - Authentic You, Part 2 ~Athena Staik, Ph.D. Thursday's Therapy5 Essential Steps to Authenticity Authentic You, Part 2~Athena Staik, Ph.D. What does it mean to live in authentic connection? Authenticity is permission we give ourselves to be real, to be who we are, consciously aware of warts and graces. This permission frees us to give and live in relation to our self and others, especially key others, from a place of love, and not fear.Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-19461860070063026052012-01-10T22:12:00.014-05:002012-01-10T22:29:55.082-05:00Wednesday's Woe - Sitting in the Waiting Room...Wednesday's Woe Sitting in the Waiting Room... Having lost my only daughter, my 19-year-old, to death 5 years and 5 months ago, I am still full of grief even as I escort my oldest child, my son, now 29-years-old, to the doctor for scans after his receiving yesterday's diagnosis of cancer... And this after his daddy, my husband Tommy, was diagnosed with cancer only a few months ago... SittingAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-40083615017775996302012-01-09T23:52:00.013-05:002012-01-10T01:20:06.074-05:00Tuesday's Trust - No Lord! Not the "C" Word... Not for My Child!!!"Tuesday's TrustNo Lord! Not the "C" Word... Not for My Child!!!" Today, I took my baby boy, my first-born child, now 29-years-old, the father of my 5-month-old grandchild, Ellie, to the doctor, only to hear the dreaded words spoken to him, "You have cancer."and then... "We must operate in 2 days." What? Not another beloved child of mine put at risk???!!! ***** I pleaded with God last Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-82299960878399893222012-01-08T20:53:00.008-05:002012-01-08T21:05:21.056-05:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - Probably Wouldn't Be This Way ~LeAnn RimesMonday's Mourning MinistryProbably Wouldn't Be This Way~LeAnn Rimes Probably Wouldn't Be This Way~LeAnn Rimes Got a date a week from Friday with the preacher's son Everybody says he's crazy I'll have to see I finally moved to Jackson when the summer came I won't have to pay that boy to rake my leaves I'm probably going on and on It seems I'm doing more of that these days I probably Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-38520390353080578102012-01-07T04:34:00.013-05:002012-01-07T05:20:53.712-05:00Saturday's Sayings - With Child-Loss Grief and Trauma...Some "Tools" to Help "May God bless and comfort all this New Year's 2012. May we continue to trudge down this road of pain and sorrow and may it "soften" a little." ~A lovely New Year's wish (and picture) from a grieving mother, "KLJ" on The Compassionate Friends of Atlanta site, one of the several child-loss grief groups on Facebook to which I belong https://www.facebook.com/groups/43057397614/ Saturday's Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-34055903846498242422012-01-05T23:29:00.018-05:002012-01-06T00:36:06.447-05:00Friday's Faith - Trauma Mama ~ My Trauma... Is a TerroristFriday's FaithTrauma Mama ~ My Trauma... Is a Terrorist Sick again today Drat! When will trauma end? Splat! All my energy down the drain Trauma Mama That's my name. I have only me to blame. My emotions are a terrorist, Sneaking up so that I can't resist.. Is my trauma my Osama, Hiding deep inside Turning me against myself ~ This mama Lost in grief ... I war with Trauma But still I persist Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-31344508415391272002012-01-04T23:59:00.009-05:002012-01-05T00:18:40.294-05:00Thursday's Therapy - The Secret to Being Authentic You ~ Authenticity, Part 1 ~by Athena Staik, Ph.D.Thursday's TherapyThe Secret to Being "Authentic You" ~Authenticity, Part 1~by Athena Staik, Ph.D.How frequently do you say or not say something because you’re worried how others will respond? For many, this happens regularly, perhaps more than we’d like to think. Often, it’s related to not wanting to come across like someone on the opposite end of the spectrum, who is perhaps oblivious to the Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-81362953662368942082012-01-03T22:45:00.006-05:002012-01-03T23:00:46.433-05:00Wednesday's Woe Mourning Song: Where Do We Go Now, Sweet child o' mine? ~by Angie Bennett PrinceWednesday's WoeMourning Song: Where Do We Go Now, Sweet child o' mine? ~by Angie Bennett Prince inspired after hearing Sheryl Crow's song, "Sweet Child O' Mine" "Sweet child o' mine Sweet love of mine, "Where do we go? Where do we go now? Where do we go Sweet child o' mine?" Where do we go, child? Where do we go now? For no one wants to hear... But we still miss you anyhow. Your smile Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-13058074015668456412012-01-02T23:11:00.010-05:002012-01-02T23:27:54.013-05:00Tuesday's Trust - God Calls... Though Grief's Ravages LingerIreland's Cliffs of Moher: The Pathway on the EdgeTuesday's TrustGod Calls... Though Grief's Ravages LingerThe vision is there,but not the repair,The love of God shown,Yet complete healing not known,God's sparks of light,But still... the night.God's sufficiency reigns,My self-sufficiency tamed.Ravages of grief linger,Yet God points His fingerTo go and obey,Walk in faith.God shows His lightThough Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-55999658592648513812012-01-01T21:57:00.014-05:002012-01-01T23:43:46.339-05:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - A New Year's Poem from Mother to Child in Heaven ~by Grieving Mother Tammy Brown / Sweet Child O' Mine ~Sheryl Crow Love from all our Heavenly children... Monday's Mourning Ministry A New Year's Poem from Mother to Child in Heaven ~by Grieving Mother Tammy Brown ~ Sweet Child O' Mine ~Sheryl Crow The poem below shares the sweet sentiments of a fellow grieving mother that express so well our angst and yet our recognition that our precious child now "knows" the depths of our love, despite our frailAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-58345185666113131202012-01-01T01:56:00.010-05:002012-01-01T02:15:34.014-05:00May You Have a Blessed New Year!!! Writing Your New Year's Resolutions? 8 Tips for Healing Our Grief-Stricken BrainsMay You Have a Blessed New Year!!! Writing Your New Year's Resolutions? Consider These 8 Tips for Healing our Grief-Stricken, Traumatized Brains! "There's a movement afoot—at least among those who practice what's known as 'integrative medicine'—to focus on maintaining a state of optimal health rather than simply alleviating symptoms or treating a particular disease. These docs, nurses, and Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-2598532544515120872011-12-31T01:29:00.013-05:002011-12-31T02:03:30.175-05:00On This New Year's Eve, Scriptures and a Poem for Grieving Mothers and Daddies... - On the Dawn of a New Year "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." ~John 16:33 On This New Year's Eve, Scriptures and a Poem for Grieving Mothers and Daddies... On the Dawn of a New Year... On the dawn of a New Year I ask, What does this year hold? More tears, angst, and trauma, Or blessings manifold? New Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-75280522271570866242011-12-30T01:14:00.007-05:002011-12-30T01:36:13.497-05:00Friday's Faith - In the Holidays, Not Getting Tripped Up by Illusions... Friday's Faith In the Holidays ~ Not Getting Tripped Up by Illusions... Not getting caught up in the "illusions," or the magical thinking of this season we're in, not getting caught up in this illusion around the pressure to "play family" on that one day no matter what is going on with any one individual, was a risk for us that we felt we had to take for our own sanity over this past Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-83407615347806669682011-12-28T18:55:00.009-05:002011-12-28T19:37:26.839-05:00Thursday's Therapy - Amidst Child-Loss Grief, Giving the Gift of the "Authentic You"Thursday's TherapyAmidst Child-Loss Grief,Giving the Gift of the "Authentic You" At Christmas, Tommy and I didn't try to force anything. We decided only to do what we could do, even though admitting limitations can be hard at such seemingly "magical" times as Christmas is in our families and in our culture. For instance, our new grandbaby got to be "Baby Jesus" in a Christmas play before the Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-16072646263962212442011-12-27T21:08:00.011-05:002011-12-27T21:27:26.603-05:00Wednesday's Woe - After the Holiday's Distractions... Reality Sets In Angie ("GiGi") and Ellie in her new "Jumperoo" (with many blankets underneath so she could reach the floor to jump!!!) Wednesday's Woe After the Holiday's Distractions... Reality Sets In We wisely spent a very quiet Christmas Day together, the two of us, alone... because as it turns out, I was unable to sleep AT ALL on Christmas Eve night (and it wasn't from being excited about "Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-23905822088285135352011-12-26T20:57:00.007-05:002011-12-26T21:06:23.719-05:00Tuesday's Trust - Face To Face Tuesday's Trust Face To Face In the darkness of this light, I cannot see. In the starkness of Death's Night, I only grieve. Yet Light came down on Christmas Day To rescue me. Love reaches down, a heart-beat away And nurtures me. Though I feel His Love all around, I cannot see. He speaks His love without a sound, And speaks to me. Yet One Day, I'll see Him face to face: He embraces me! He wipesAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-43385359420542518302011-12-25T23:42:00.014-05:002011-12-26T00:39:49.463-05:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - Perfect Love (Mary's Song) ~Hillsong Live with Darlene ZschechMonday's Mourning MinistryPerfect Love (Mary's Song) ~Hillsong Live If you look for Meat Christmasyou won't need a special star --I'm no longer just in Bethlehem,I'm right there where you are.You may not be aware of Meamid the celebrations --You'll have to look beyond the storesand all the decorations.But if you take a momentfrom your list of things to doAnd listen to your heart, you'll findI'm Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-48989806655285110862011-12-24T22:52:00.012-05:002011-12-25T00:09:16.494-05:00Merry Christmas Dear Grieving Mother and Father - A Prayer and a Poem for You: May you have a blessed Christmas... Merry Christmas Dear Grieving Mother and FatherA Prayer and a Poem for You:May you have a blessed Christmas... May you have a blessed Christmas as He holds you in His arms. May you cling to His love coming and not this world's vain charms. May you hear the angels singing into your own child's ears. May you feel peace the Christ Child's bringing As it rules out all death's fears, For the EnemyAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-16066823917478831312011-12-23T21:37:00.014-05:002011-12-25T00:05:43.869-05:00Christmas Eve - When Merry Left Christmas Christmas Eve When Merry Left Christmas How can I be "happy" at Christmas when everywhere I look, I see the "Merry" with Christmas, yet her bed is bare? We still get cards that put the "Merry" with Christmas, but When her stocking remains untouched, I feel punched in my gut. I look and I look with jingle bells ringing roun' ~ Yet you, my Merry… you're nowhere to be found! For my Merry left Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-90539335256731301812011-12-22T23:44:00.011-05:002011-12-23T01:02:59.124-05:00Friday's Faith - Refined By Fire - Really???! Friday's Faith Refined By Fire - Really???! My brother (handicapped since birth, and the sibling closest to me in my family), sent me a precious Christmas present this week, a new book by Randy Alcorn, 90 Days of God's Goodness: Daily Devotions that Shine Light on Personal Darkness. The quotes (other than mine) in today's post are from this wonderful little book. Thank you Rick!!! ***** I Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-18624146966281501842011-12-21T22:02:00.009-05:002011-12-21T23:00:35.107-05:00Thursday's Therapy - Learning to "Let Go" to "Get Through" the Sacred Holidays ~by Tommy and Angie PrinceThursday's Therapy Learning to "Let Go" to "Get Through" the Sacred Holidays~by Tommy and Angie Prince "Letting Go" of our traditions amidst the sacred holidays has saved us. It seems the way to "get through" the sacred holidays is to "let go"! For example, we tried to do our regular traditions during the sacred Christmas holidays of that first year of having just lost Merry Katherine Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-63305232302844622822011-12-21T00:23:00.005-05:002011-12-21T01:42:22.266-05:00Wednesday's Woe - The Shock of "Merry" ChristmasJust one of the many greetings which has my baby's name in it...Wednesday's Woe The Shock of "Merry" Christmas Holidays are bad enough. Christmas is hard enough after having lost our child. But for us, with our child's first name being "Merry," it seems almost impossible. Her siblings and friends always called her "Merry." The first Christmas or two after Merry Katherine was gone, I had someAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-19018941399326875992011-12-19T21:19:00.011-05:002011-12-19T22:26:58.643-05:00Tuesday's Trust - Deep Calls to Deep...Tuesday's Trust Deep Calls to Deep... Could it be that your death Brought me to life in some ways, Breathing in me a vitalizing breath, Yielding new focus for my latter days? Knowing what's important is a great simplifier, Giving compassion for the lost, the dying, the half-dead, God's voice coming through clearer as if by Death's amplifier, Where the noises of the world's din are shut down to aAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-63102879746499685872011-12-18T21:50:00.006-05:002011-12-18T21:58:08.607-05:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - When Love Was Born ~Mark SchultzMonday's Mourning Ministry When Love Was Born ~Mark Schultz Starlight shines the night is still shepherds watch from a hill I close my eyes and see the night when Love was born A perfect Child gently waits A mother bends To kiss God's face I close my eyes and see the night when Love was born Angels fill the midnight sky, they sing Hallelujah, He is Christ our King Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-22834015118226522512011-12-16T21:27:00.014-05:002011-12-17T00:00:38.748-05:00Saturday's Sayings - The Grief that Stole ChristmasSaturday's SayingsThe Grief that Stole Christmas Merry Christmas Mom The Holidays are upon us and we feel sadness and fear Our child is no longer with us and we just want them near. We remember joy and cheer from all the years past And how each Christmas Day we always had a blast. The time leading up to this spectacular day Should be filled with joy and lots of child play. As we hang the Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-30014737835169056072011-12-15T23:15:00.010-05:002011-12-15T23:46:01.115-05:00Friday's Faith - Fragile! Please Handle ME With Care At Christmas Time!Friday's Faith Fragile! Please Handle ME With Care At Christmas Time! Special Handling Please I was handed a package the other day. It was wrapped securely to be mailed away. Attached to the outside as plain as could be Was a simple note for all to see. Please rush through the holiday season; Too painful to open for any reason. Contained within find one broken heart -- Fragile, broken, Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-78832697616964640652011-12-14T20:27:00.011-05:002011-12-14T20:48:06.406-05:00Thursday's Therapy - Ahhh! The Illusions and Delusions of The Holiday Season! ~by Tommy and Angie PrinceThursday's Therapy Ahhh! The Illusions and Delusions of The Holiday Season! ~by Tommy and Angie Prince The trauma of losing a child takes away the defense mechanisms you used to have that helped to guard against acknowledging the truth, against seeing certain unwanted-stark-realities that were too ugly to fit into our "idealized," "magical" view of reality. For example, pre-child-loss, we Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-78958229129805655752011-12-13T23:12:00.008-05:002011-12-14T00:12:08.940-05:00Wednesday's Woe - That Dreaded Question of the Season ~Tommy Prince Wednesday's Woe That Dreaded Question of the Season ~Tommy Prince My younger son called today from Athens, Georgia (his mommy's hometown) where he is now living. He asked that dreaded question of the season: "When are we ALL getting together for Christmas???!!!" Here I was going along getting plenty of exercise, trying to focus on getting better, while trying to avoid the trappings of the Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-78604060052829920092011-12-12T23:52:00.015-05:002011-12-13T01:27:52.382-05:00Tuesday's Trust - Little LambykinsTuesday's Trust Little Lambykins Tommy surprised me today with an early Christmas present! I think it then surprised us both when I cried in response!!! I think we all have a little "inner-child" in us no matter how "grown-up" we are... especially if we have gone through major trauma like all of us have who have lost our child. It was super sweet of him to do this for me. My lamb is cuddled upAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-47705896975321981472011-12-11T18:08:00.023-05:002011-12-11T18:42:49.071-05:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - When I See You Again ~Emerson Drive + Worldwide Candle LightingSunday, December 11, 2011, 7:00 p.m.The Compassionate Friends, USAWorldwide Candle Lightinghttps://www.facebook.com/events/167233350026630/http://www.compassionatefriends.org/News_Events/Special-Events/Worldwide_Candle_Lighting.aspx*****Monday's Mourning MinistryWhen I See You Again~Emerson DriveWhen I See You Again~Emerson DriveI still talk to you Whenever I'm alone I hear you in my prayers FeelAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-19343322746126225422011-12-09T23:53:00.020-05:002011-12-10T00:54:42.526-05:00Saturday's Sayings - 'Tis the Season... To GrieveSaturday's Sayings'Tis the Season... To GrieveHow to Cope With Grief During… Christmas Holidays The holidays create even more pain to those who are suffering grief from the loss of a loved one. It is a painful reminder of those who are no longer in our lives on a daily basis. What should be a festive and happy time does not feel like it for the grief stricken. Baby boomers have inherited the “Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-14269708650871310642011-12-08T22:44:00.009-05:002011-12-08T23:11:27.216-05:00Friday's Faith - "Get Out of Festivities, Free" CardFriday's Faith"Get Out of Festivities, Free" CardAs a child-loss griever, you don't know it, but you have been granted special privileges during the holidays. You have been awarded, just like in the game of Monopoly, a "Get out of Festivities Free" Card. And the beauty of it is it's permanent; it is not temporary. This card can be used year after year. But you will probably use it more during theAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-55945713667723655712011-12-07T21:15:00.006-05:002011-12-07T22:38:02.650-05:00Thursday's Therapy - Wallowing??? Or, Grieving in a Healthy Way???Thursday's TherapyWallowing??? Or, Grieving in a Healthy Way??? So how exactly do we grieve in a healthy way? A member of one of the grieving groups to which I belong came onto the site the other day and posted an excoriating warning to those of us who often are drowning in our grief. In essence, her warning was, "Stop wallowing!" and "Let the sunshine in!" Well, my first reaction of courseAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-48279777838976247452011-12-06T23:43:00.007-05:002011-12-07T00:51:28.048-05:00Wednesday's Woe - The New (Devastating) Reality ~by Tommy Prince"Grief, I think, signs you up in a separate, invisible club, members selected at death's awful randomness. 'Gone forever' is our password, lingering sorrow our handshake. If you haven't lost someone important to you, you can't begin to know the rules. Truth is, you don't even know the club exists."~from Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, by Susan Carol McCarthyWednesday's WoeThe New (Devastating) Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-82290514777108231582011-12-05T18:52:00.009-05:002011-12-06T00:17:26.090-05:00Tuesday's Trust In "The New Reality" versus "The New Normal" ~Where Do We Child-Loss Grievers Go?!~Tuesday's TrustIn "The New Reality" versus "The New Normal" ~Where Do We Child-Loss Grievers Go?!~~by Tommy and Angie Prince {We also used the above graphic on August 25th, 2009 in Tommy's blog post: “NO ROOM IN THE INN” FOR THE EMOTIONALLY WOUNDED.} What is it that civilians are longing for us to return "to" since we have been thrown so deeply into our Child-Loss Grief? What they don't Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-34545949687783084722011-12-05T00:24:00.008-05:002011-12-05T00:39:25.267-05:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - Come Back to Me ~by Grieving Father, Mick LaBriolaAccording to YouTube,"A Father's devastating reaction to the Death of his 6 yr.old boy, expresses his (desperate) attempt to survive; through this multi-faceted juxtaposition of Folk, Country, Reggae, Sepharadic, Arabic, Bulgarian & Persian genres of Music, Healing & Spirit..." Songs for Diego, I'm Missing You "Come Back To Me" ~by Mick LaBriola @ 2005 Ya didn’t have to leave me all Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-59311095227149033022011-12-02T22:28:00.011-05:002011-12-03T02:46:14.973-05:00Saturday's Sayings - Looking Up, Amidst Our Tears...Saturday's SayingsLooking Up, Amidst Our Tears...You can feel the whole world and still feel lost in it. So many people are in pain— no matter how smart or accomplished—they cry, they yearn, they hurt. But instead of looking down on things, they look up, which is where I should have been looking, too. Because when the world quiets to the sound of your own breathing, we all want the same things: Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-22141367399011083472011-12-01T23:47:00.006-05:002011-12-01T23:57:08.975-05:00Friday's Faith - The Body Speaks. Will We Listen?Friday's FaithThe Body Speaks. Will We Listen? The body speaks. Will we listen As holidays near and parties beckon? Grief's tsunami takes its toll ~ Loving on people is our goal, But who are we now, and how will we function When our "New Normal" issues its injunction? Our loved ones may not understand When our hearts don't heel to their ev'ry command, But we must be mindful our hearts are Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-23827956326797640692011-11-30T22:22:00.016-05:002011-11-30T23:30:58.839-05:00Thursday's Therapy - 8 Ways for Us Child-Loss Grievers to Restore Our Damaged BrainsThursday's Therapy 8 Ways for Us Child-Loss Grievers to Restore Our Damaged Brains It was first at the conference Tommy and I went to in Atlanta, Georgia, training under premier Trauma specialist Dr. Bessel A. van der Kolk, when we learned that brains are often damaged (with evidence of the "hippocampus" actually shrinking) when going through severe trauma such as that of losing our child. Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-48292937938815436162011-11-29T20:28:00.010-05:002011-11-29T20:59:38.857-05:00Wednesday's Woe - Stranded Between The Now and... The Not Yet Wednesday's Woe Stranded Between The Now and… The Not Yet ~Tommy and Angie Prince So, on the Good side: We got to spend Thanksgiving loving on our two sons, our daughter-in-law, and our little 3-month-old grand baby. It was a precious time, really idyllic. And we had such a sweet time cuddling with our precious grand baby girl, Ellie. But on the Down side: Though we experienced such sweetAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-67014068153280915872011-11-28T23:27:00.016-05:002011-11-28T23:52:35.680-05:00Tuesday's Trust - Amidst the Holidays ~ Keeping the Good...Tuesday's Trust Amidst the Holidays ~ Keeping the Good... We are coming out of Thanksgiving weekend and looking back on the time with awe. Looking back on our lives this weekend is somewhat like watching the immature pupa in the process of its transformation between larva and adult within its transitional state within the chrysalis. Going into the weekend, we knew certain new rules we have Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-86694660061591884742011-11-27T18:59:00.011-05:002011-12-11T18:18:19.757-05:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - I Am Weary, Let Me Rest ~The Cox FamilyMonday's Mourning MinistryI Am Weary, Let Me Rest~The Cox FamilySongwriters: Peter V. Kuykendall A/k/a Pete RobertsKiss me mother kiss your darlin'Lay my head upon your breastThrow your loving arms around meI am weary let me restSeems the light is swiftly fadingBrighter scenes they do now showI am standing by The RiverAngels wait to take me HomeKiss me mother kiss your darlin'See the pain upon myAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-32928546818976914192011-11-26T00:31:00.019-05:002011-11-26T01:47:54.431-05:00Saturday's Sayings - First… Walk a Mile in My ShoesSaturday's Sayings First… Walk a Mile in My Shoes Many poems in today's post are thanks to "Grieving Mothers" I am wearing a pair of shoes. They are ugly shoes. Uncomfortable shoes. I hate my shoes. Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair. Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I do not think I can take another step. Yet, I continue to wear them. I get funny looks Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-9467954368012037472011-11-24T21:41:00.010-05:002011-11-24T22:15:23.724-05:00Friday's Faith - A Christmas Letter to God ~Joe MuddFriday's FaithA Christmas Letter to God~by Joe MuddDear God,I hope this letter finds you well. How are things in heaven? I hope all is going well. I guess they’d have to be pretty good, or they wouldn’t call it heaven would they?Down here on earth they say you are all knowing and all powerful. That you never screw up. In fact they say you’re infallible, because, well you’re God and all that.But Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-73527162166414505352011-11-23T23:32:00.014-05:002011-11-24T00:12:25.593-05:00Thursday's Therapy - Blessed Thanksgiving! Balancing "The Grief You Have and The Gift You Had"… Thursday's Therapy Blessed Thanksgiving! The Grief and The Gift When your child dies, the immensity of still being alive strikes at your core. Your focus shifts back and forth between the grief you have and the gift you had.~Writer and Grieving-Father, Linton Weeks We are so thankful that we were blessed to have nineteen wonderful years with our precious daughter who entered this world in Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-19374529500994244762011-11-22T19:53:00.010-05:002011-11-22T20:17:01.435-05:00Wednesday's Woe - The Branch, The Vine, and The Vinedresser Amidst Child-Loss Grief… Wednesday's WoeThe Branch, The Vine, and The Vinedresser Amidst Child-Loss Grief… From here? It looks like Satan ate her alive ~ From There? You assure my baby girl does thrive! From here? My body is worn down and weak ~ From There? You say I'm blessed when I can grieve! From here? I see my work is compromised ~ From There? Grief ensures my work be improvised! From here? Grief's changed me;Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-62310693713391192752011-11-21T23:23:00.010-05:002011-11-21T23:42:44.268-05:00Tuesday's Trust - Thankful Amidst Death's Darkness… - 10 Things for Which We Are Thankful Amidst Child-LossTuesday's Trust Thankful Amidst Death's Darkness… 10 Things for Which We Are Thankful Amidst Child-Loss We are thankful that injuries and illnesses developed from our Post-Traumatic Stress of Child-Loss Grief and Trauma are ones that could be resolved, cured, or repaired. We are thankful we now know what is important in life, for Child-Loss can bring great clarity of mind, soul, and spirit. Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-88259169928959151362011-11-20T18:01:00.012-05:002011-11-20T20:06:28.848-05:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - First You Cry ~Percy Sledge - {And New Verses We Added!}Monday's Mourning MinistryFirst You Cry~Percy Sledge{And New Verses We Added!}Here is the classic Percy Sledge singing, First You Cry. It's a great song in and of itself, but it inspired Tommy and met to add a few verses at the end. So, enjoy, but "First, you cry"! First You Cry ~Percy Sledge{And New Verses We Added!} It don't come cheaply when they look like that So hard to keep when they Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-26673714166462898482011-11-19T00:44:00.007-05:002011-11-19T01:18:51.784-05:00Saturday's Sayings - Sorrow~A Gift? Focusing on What Matters Most Saturday's SayingsSorrow ~ A Gift?Focusing on What Matters MostSorrow, a gift? This counter-intuitive perspective is nicely elucidated by the psychotherapist and former Catholic monk Thomas Moore: "Sorrow removes your attention from the active life and focuses it on the things that matter most. When you are going through a period of extreme loss or pain, you reflect on the people who mean the Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-10544272801400950012011-11-17T23:47:00.012-05:002011-11-18T00:36:30.070-05:00Friday's Faith - The Prints You Left Behind...Friday's Faith The Prints You Left Behind... Baby, what folks don't know Is you left your prints on us Before you ever did go, Prints that reach deeper than skin, Down into the heart, and down into the soul. Your love, Your laughter burrows in, Your gentle spirit, the wisdom of a friend, Your kindness buried deep, now leaves a gaping hole. Our hearts are split wide open Now that you are gone..Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-14265405679414296532011-11-16T21:13:00.011-05:002011-11-16T21:59:55.063-05:00Thursday's Therapy - Why Going to a Grief Counselor May Not Help... Part Three ~by Angie and Tommy Prince Thursday's Therapy Why Going to a Grief Counselor May Not Help... Part Three~by Angie and Tommy Prince In the last two weeks in Thursday's Therapy, we discussed some of the important findings of the study reported in an article on Medscape called, "Loss of a Baby Linked to Increased Mortality in Parents" From the results of a study reported in September of this year, it seems it is a Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-49782511291989066072011-11-16T01:00:00.011-05:002011-11-16T01:18:01.807-05:00Wednesday's Woe - Looks Like You'll Have to Do Thanksgiving Without Us… Wednesday's Woe Looks Like You'll Have to Do Thanksgiving Without Us… We've just been invited to a family Thanksgiving. Let's see… We're grieving our baby girl, and our hearts are pulverized. It is about all we can do to just walk through a "normal" day. Now, here come the holidays ~ If we can hardly do a normal day, what makes anyone think we can do a holiday when we would be… thrown Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-46659804022183120802011-11-14T22:48:00.013-05:002011-11-14T23:22:24.749-05:00Tuesday's Trust - My Baby Girl’s Cries of Thanksgiving Tuesday's Trust My Baby Girl’s Cries of Thanksgiving Did you fly up to Heaven on the wings of angels, Or did my Lord Jesus carry you Himself? Somehow I picture you with Jesus, not angels, As I know He caught you in His arms that night, Himself. I cannot imagine He would delegate such a role to anyone else, Not anymore, now that He lives in our hearts, faithful and true. We don’t meet anAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-9907487908845731932011-11-13T20:39:00.010-05:002011-11-13T21:06:47.608-05:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - Sissy's Song ~Alan JacksonMy baby's favorite color of roses...I love and miss her so...We put pink roses on her white-with-pink casket...But she had already flown up to Heaven,And she's there now awaiting us;God is good. Monday's Mourning MinistrySissy's Song~Alan Jackson Sissy's Song ~Alan Jackson Why did she have to go So young I just don't know why Things happen half the time Without reason without rhyme Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-47027392962140060502011-11-12T00:11:00.014-05:002011-11-12T01:53:15.740-05:00Saturday's Sayings - In Search of Solace...Saturday's SayingsIn Search of Solace... I have lived in the shadow of loss — the kind of loss that can paralyze a life, forever. I have grieved like a professional mourner — with every waking moment, draining every ounce of life-force. I have died — without leaving my body. I came back — It is frequently said that the grief of a Grieving Mother is the most intense grief known. When a child Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-37065697790495321502011-11-10T23:23:00.012-05:002011-11-10T23:44:53.686-05:00Friday's Faith - Can the Oceans Hold Our Grief?Friday's FaithCan the Oceans Hold Our Grief?Listening to a meditation c.d. …Hearing my baby splashing in the Ocean of Life,Laughing outrageously,Having the time of her life…Lord help me climb intoHer True Reality ~She has not been robbed of life;She is swimming in Your Great Blue Sea!Left behind,My eyes tear up;I miss my child,My eyes fill up…My, what love does to our heart;We're never the same Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-85063157415839740492011-11-09T21:33:00.012-05:002011-11-09T22:21:44.457-05:00Thursday's Therapy - Why Going to a Grief Counselor May Not Help… - Part TwoThursday's TherapyWhy Going to a Grief Counselor May Not Help…Part TwoToday's post is referring to some of the statements made by Dr. M. Katherine Shear (M.D., Marion E. Kenworthy Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University School College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City, New York) in the article referred to last week called, "Loss of a Baby Linked to Increased Mortality in Parents."Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-50401422539540104952011-11-08T22:41:00.012-05:002011-11-09T00:56:30.114-05:00Wednesday's Woe - Amidst Devastating Loss, Will the "Real" Christians Please Come Forward??? Wednesday's Woe Amidst Devastating Loss, Will the "Real" Christians Please Come Forward??? A religion that does not affirm that God is hidden is not true. ~Pascal Grieving father, former pastor, and popular Christian speaker, Ronald Dunn in his book, When Heaven is Silent, addresses what I think has become some of the cultish thinking in the church today in which there is only a focus Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-12721047242327973212011-11-07T22:12:00.012-05:002011-11-07T23:26:32.038-05:00Tuesday's Trust - Oh, To Protect Our Child-Loss Heart!Tuesday's Trust Oh, To Protect Our Child-Loss Heart! With grief my companion, I sometimes question, Will its roots overtake me On this Child-loss journey? Or will those who say they love... Squelch my heart with their toxic "love"? We take some precautions Though some may think we're haughty ~ (They can't know what we're living For they think our grief trivial…) Grief is quite enough you Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-90918922594262045132011-11-06T19:38:00.009-05:002011-11-06T20:03:28.280-05:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - Save a Place for Me ~Matthew West Monday's Mourning Ministry Save a Place for Me ~Matthew West Don't be mad If I cry It just hurts so bad, sometimes 'Cause everyday, it's sinking in And I have to say goodbye all over again You know I bet it feels good to have the weight of this world off your shoulders now I'm dreaming of the day when I'm finally there with you (Chorus) Save a place for me Save a place for me I'll be Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-8488378249834775892011-11-04T22:13:00.014-04:002011-11-05T01:27:32.287-04:00Saturday's Sayings - How Do You Grieve Your Own Child? Dealing with the Presence of Your Absence...Saturday's SayingsHow Do You Grieve Your Own Child?Dealing with the Presence of Your Absence...About his poem the author writes, My daughter died at the age of twenty, having succumbed to the temptation of drink and drugs. In the eyes of the world she was an adult, but to me she was still my precious little girl. During that first year following her death, I wrote almost forty poems, which Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-80473794940559453692011-11-03T23:36:00.011-04:002011-11-03T23:50:40.774-04:00Friday's Faith - Passively Being Changed? ~by Tommy PrinceFriday's Faith Passively Being Changed? ~by Tommy Prince "He said that those who have endured some misfortune will always be set apart but that it is just that misfortune which is their gift and which is their strength." ~Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses Change happens when you are powerless. Going into surgery, there was not a thing I could do for myself. The optimal thing for me toAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-6573538023314818562011-11-02T23:41:00.013-04:002011-11-03T00:58:40.548-04:00Thursday's Therapy - Why Going to a Grief Counselor May Not Help… Part OneThursday's Therapy Why Going to a Grief Counselor May Not Help… Part One Oh. My. We may have figured out why going to a GRIEF COUNSELOR does not help. I was reminded last night as I read the study that I summarized for you last night, that our professionals in the helping field (right now, I'm just talking about the psychological professionals like psychiatrists, psychologists, social Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-46960864016650661912011-11-01T22:27:00.014-04:002011-11-01T23:03:28.443-04:00Wednesday's Woe - Child-Loss Grief: As Bad as We Thought it Was… It's Worse than We ThoughtA new study has found that mothers who experience a stillbirth or lose a child in the first year of life are more than 4 times more likely to die or become widowed in the following decade than moms who don’t experience this type of bereavement. Wednesday's Woe Child-Loss Grief: As Bad as We Thought it Was… It's Worse than We Thought Today, Tommy's sister (a nurse practitioner who is also a Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-59394818626176007422011-10-31T22:24:00.009-04:002011-10-31T22:51:49.050-04:00Tuesday's Trust - 'Tis the Optional Season!Tuesday's Trust 'Tis the Optional Season! For the past two years, we have not "done" Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is now just three weeks away. From this distance, we are thinking maybe we can have the family over again (just our little family - our son Nathan, our son Rollin, his wife/our daughter-in-law Stephanie, and their baby/our new grand baby Ellie). But then again, we pause, and Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-19137550996916381762011-10-30T22:56:00.013-04:002011-10-31T01:48:37.047-04:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - Knowing What I Know About Heaven ~Sarah DarlingMonday's Mourning MinistryKnowing What I Know About Heaven ~Sarah Darling I bet the trumpets played And the angels sang Every sweet refrain Of Amazing Grace And that Heaven's hands Opened up the Gate And the children danced When they saw your face As happy as they were to see you coming, I was just as sad to have to watch you go Oh but Knowing what I know about Heaven Believing that you're Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-71129769318317006452011-10-28T22:50:00.017-04:002011-10-29T00:44:44.002-04:00Saturday's Sayings - Looking Up Amidst Grief"You look in front of you and there is drama; You look behind you there's (chaos); You look to your right and there's anger; You look to your left there's pain; Which way do you look? You look UP; You look up drawing faith and courage to soar above it all." ~Grieving Mothers Saturday's SayingsLooking Up Amidst Grief Be cautious of the word (and concept) of 'closure'. While there are levels ofAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-91639203871335246292011-10-27T23:36:00.008-04:002011-10-27T23:50:54.777-04:00Friday's Faith - Till Our Faith Becomes Sight… Friday's Faith Till Our Faith Becomes Sight… My brother sent your pictures in the mail; They pierced through my heart, sharp as a nail. (Why couldn't you hear us that fatal day? You made your decision; you had your say.) Now we're left without you, our world's not right; Ev'rybody else here, you're not in sight. We thought we had grieved and grieved and grieved, yet We see your picture; grief'sAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-47942020835264141192011-10-26T23:17:00.007-04:002011-10-26T23:49:31.330-04:00Thursday's Therapy - Complicated Mourning? I'll Say!Up From the Ruins... Snow plant grows in the thick humus of mountainous coniferous forests from 4000' to 8000' high. A Sierra Wildflower: Snowplant from Carson Iceberg Wilderness The Snow Plant is so rare, it is protected by Law! Thursday's TherapyComplicated Mourning? I'll Say! When a loss hits us, we have not only the particular loss to mourn but also the shattered beliefs and assumptions of Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-21188038068039763362011-10-25T23:40:00.013-04:002011-10-26T00:08:36.753-04:00Wednesday's Woe - No Hits, No Errors, but a Whole Lot of Hurt… ~Tommy Prince Wednesday's Woe No Hits, No Errors, but a Whole Lot of Hurt… ~Tommy Prince I was making a WalMart run. Usually I don't like to see anyone I know when I run errands, but especially this particular day because I was shopping for diapers… not for our granddaughter, but for myself…! Yeah, that's what comes with recovering from prostate surgery! So, what happened was… in the store, I brieflyAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-41812837502022011932011-10-24T23:13:00.021-04:002011-10-25T01:01:28.686-04:00Tuesday's Trust - New Clarity...!Tuesday's TrustNew Clarity...!After writing the post for you last night about my baby girl's first "visit" from Heaven, I was reminded of the clarity of that moment, that moment when I saw the peace on my baby's face, and saw her smile that beamed, from one who could only know such peace and happiness after death if she was indeed in Heaven with our God...The clarity of that moment, realizing Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-46453401805289493122011-10-23T21:09:00.007-04:002011-10-23T21:45:06.770-04:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - I Believe ~Diamond RioMonday's Mourning MinistryI Believe~Diamond RioFor our children who are God's children who have gone on to Heaven, they have gone from death to Life and are now a part of that Great Cloud of Witnesses talked about in Hebrews 12:1. Yesterday, I stumbled upon this song by a group with whom I was unfamiliar, and was so touched by the message of their song. It seems when I "commune" with my baby, Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-40680540898964743252011-10-22T16:42:00.015-04:002011-10-22T20:11:12.848-04:00Saturday's Sayings - What Friends and Family Don't Know to Tell You... Unless They Too Have Lost a ChildSaturday's SayingsWhat Friends and Family Don't Know to Tell You...Unless They Too Have Lost a ChildGrieving is neither an illnessnor a pathological condition,but rather a highly personaland normal responseto life-changing events,a natural processthat can lead to healingand personal growth.The transition through this difficult timeis the courageous journey.~Sandi Caplan and Gordon Lang in Grief'sAngie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-15517087268298730732011-10-21T21:54:00.011-04:002011-10-21T22:20:21.664-04:00Friday's Faith - Who Are My Brothers and Sisters?Friday's Faith Who Are My Brothers and Sisters?~Angie and Tommy Prince In this new dimension into which we have been thrown since our Child-Loss Grief, we ask ourselves, "Who is our family now?!" Like the little bird that went around asking, "Are you my mother? Are you my mother?" in the famous children's book, perhaps we too are going around asking, "Who is my family now? Are you my family?Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-76079236028865830222011-10-20T23:03:00.010-04:002011-10-21T00:20:34.353-04:00Thursday's Therapy - You Must Go Down Before You Can Go Up Thursday's Therapy You Must Go Down Before You Can Go Up! In working with a client this week, I became aware again of this new dimension into which you and I have been called to live. This client, too, has experienced great loss, loss of a child, loss of a step-child, loss of a spouse, and in this current economy, a now greatly diminished form of his business. He was saying that it is hard Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-81154132007148508262011-10-19T21:11:00.012-04:002011-10-19T22:03:20.683-04:00Wednesday's Woe - How Church, Family, and Friends are Like a HospitalWednesday's WoeHow Church/Family/Friends Are Like a Hospital...Patients are gone. Sheets are changed.Diseases are gone. Back to a blank.Life can go on like their lives weren't here,So they can go on, lives "disappear";Conveniently, no one has to shed a tear. My child is gone. Sheets are changed.Family goes home. For them, nothing's changed...They think it's over. They are deranged!MY BABY'S GONE!Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-40764286782993676042011-10-18T22:16:00.012-04:002011-10-18T22:41:07.050-04:00Tuesday's Trust - The Problem with People of Faith ~Tommy and Angie Prince Tuesday's Trust The Problem with People of Faith ~Tommy and Angie Prince Well, let's start with reality: It's been five years now since I lost my baby girl. I think I am doing okay; then I catch a glimpse of myself in a picture, and the first thing that jumps out at me is, the sadness in my eyes. It seems there's a Permanence of Sadness in my life. As a Child-Loss Griever, I carry around Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-42035149468389663202011-10-17T22:22:00.018-04:002011-10-17T23:23:17.990-04:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - God Holds Us Together / Hold Us Together ~Matt MaherMonday's Mourning MinistryGod Holds Us Together/Hold Us Together~Matt MaherAmazing!A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio…and I was BLOWN AWAY! I want to share what I learned….but I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway.He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is…Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-57203733385471401332011-10-15T00:56:00.027-04:002011-10-15T02:33:44.981-04:00Saturday's Sayings ~In Loving Memory~ Another Child-Loss Parent Lost to Grief…Tom Calvert with his son David Saturday's Sayings ~In Loving Memory~ Another Child-Loss Parent Lost to Grief… David Calvert Tom Calvert HeroinHeroin took my son took him far awayI found him on his bed so dead as he layEyes closed in sleep spoon on night standBloody foam in mouth with needle in his handThis vision haunts my dreams keeps me from sleepWhat sin did I commit that this is what I Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-83252333048280141712011-10-13T23:38:00.011-04:002011-10-14T03:50:13.152-04:00Friday's Faith - Child-Loss: The Deepening Dimension of Our Faith Requires "Deep-Sea Diving"!Friday's Faith Child-Loss: The Deepening Dimension of Our Faith Requires "Deep-Sea Diving"! This new dimension into which we have been thrown (see this week's "Wednesday's Woe") also spills over into the area of religion and faith. Activities that were commonplace for us all our lives, attending Sunday School, attending church, being involved in the music ministries of the church, attending Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-6863975939570341932011-10-12T21:45:00.006-04:002011-10-12T22:09:28.474-04:00Thursday's Therapy - What Makes a Grief Group Therapeutic?Thursday's Therapy What Makes a Grief Group Therapeutic? A few weeks ago, a mother came onto one of the grief groups available on the internet, totally exasperated and asked, in effect, What good is any of this we do, just sharing our pain with one another? I just get depressed with all of our hurt and pain. So please tell me how any of this is helping; how is it doing us any good? Our Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-72672418527583976892011-10-11T23:17:00.008-04:002011-10-11T23:55:01.927-04:00Wednesday's Woe - "Weighty Problems"? ~by Tommy Prince Wednesday's Woe "Weighty Problems"? ~by Tommy Prince This past week has been quite an interesting and eventful one! On Tuesday, I underwent major surgery to have my prostate removed as I discovered I had a malignant cancer there; hopefully the cancer was contained inside the prostate (I will probably find this out for sure tomorrow), and thus, it got removed. At the same time I was in Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-8868625382140415732011-10-10T23:06:00.007-04:002011-10-11T00:00:17.080-04:00Tuesday's Trust - We are Weak but He is Strong… Tuesday's Trust We are Weak but He is Strong… 10/10/2011 31 years ago today, my mother and father lost their oldest child: my brother Buddy lost his life to cancer on 10-10-1980 at the age of 38. My parents, (like I as of 8/2/2006), had to learn to live with the death of their child for the rest of their earthly existence… Trauma throws us to the ground, some to ground zero. With Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-79415313227452204832011-10-09T19:43:00.026-04:002011-10-09T22:00:54.108-04:00Monday's Mourning Ministry - From My Limited View... (I talk to my baby girl) / If You Could See Me Now ~The Integrity Worship SingersMonday's Mourning MinistryFrom My Limited View...(I talk to my baby girl)~If You Could See Me Now~The Integrity Worship SingersFrom My Limited View… I talk to my baby girl Baby girl, You left so young... It felt like your life was interrupted You left so young It felt like your life was incomplete... And yet you call... "Sweet Mommy, don't you know With Jesus, all In my life, He does bestow!Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-17484403138341166582011-10-08T22:55:00.021-04:002011-10-09T00:52:26.708-04:00Saturday's Sayings - A Grief Shared - Phase II ~by Lynda Boucugnani-WhiteheadSaturday's SayingsA Grief Shared - Phase II~by Lynda Boucugnani-WhiteheadI found a follow-up to Lynda Boucugnani-Whitehead's "A Grief Shared" in the TCF, Atlanta newsletter, so I thought I'd share it with you all. Her original writing was a very popular one before with you, my blog readers, so I hope you enjoy her follow up that she says comes 15 years later! Enjoy!A Grief Shared – Phase II By Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454985111909816833.post-29492241131175516212011-10-07T22:55:00.010-04:002011-10-08T00:41:16.087-04:00Friday's Faith - For This is the New YouFriday's FaithFor This is the New YouEven Jesus didn't hang out with those who hated Him. He had the discernment to know who was who. He sought out the broken, the open, the humble, the seeking. He told His disciples to do the same thing. He openly scorned the merely religious that had no love in their hearts, for they did not reflect the Heavenly Father*, and so He told them - even though they Angie Princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17943939813284113376noreply@blogger.com0