Gay McKinley now definitely believe that there are stages of grief and she describes ‘the tsunami of grief’ stage as one of them. She has written about her deep insights into grief in her two previous articles, shared to our newsletter readers and then here on the Good Grief! website. … Read more
“I find this dish incredibly comforting on a personal level,” explains Australian cooking and media personality, Lyndey Milan. “Not sure if it is because it includes mince – beef or lamb is fine – which is easy to eat and digest and brings back memories of childhood. “Or the hint … Read more
Grief came unexpectedly calling for GAY McKINLEY, and she is still learning how to find her way without the love of her life. This article first appeared as A Reader’s Story in the Good Grief July 2023 issue, which can be found here. Last year Gay got in touch, following … Read more
This article was updated on April 20, 2023. Road Trauma Support Services Victoria rebrands as Amber Community. by Sandra Moon When newly married Jo Keep heard a knock at the door at 3am she knew something wasn’t right. Her husband Gavin had left for work earlier that night and his … Read more
This article was updated on 24 March, 2023. It discusses the death of my dear brother Julian in a motorbike accident. A conversation with friends took me to a well the other day. We were walking in the Sydney sunshine along Bungaree’s Walkway at Middle Head, a natural pathway with … Read more
This article was updated on 26 October, 2022. It made a difference to be able to connect one last time, SANDRA MOON, journalist, editor, writer and no stranger to grief, says of her personal experience with coffin art. In the crematorium I waited with the other mourners, thick black markers … Read more
This article was updated on 16 September, 2022. It features roadside memorials. We have a roadside memorial in the form of a floral tribute in my community. It is firmly attached by rounds and rounds of sticky tape to the pedestrian button at the traffic lights. It started with a … Read more
We all know grief. But what can we learn from others about it? Allegra Spender is contesting the seat of Wentworth in the next Australian Federal Election, due to be held soon, most likely in May 2022. My interview with Allegra, about her decision to run, was published in the … Read more
Today a Mexican Cross to remember Chris by, because later this morning, Sydney time, his family who are dear to my heart will bury him. They are a large Catholic family just like the one I grew up in and now he, one of the six siblings, is gone. If … Read more
Could an end of life doula, or amicus mortis help to midwife your death? ‘Doula’ is a Greek word for a woman who gives support, help, and advice to another woman during pregnancy and during and after birth. The word has now spread to cover the same style of care for someone who is dying.
Other expressions which cover support at the end of life are “midwife to the dying” and the Latin term “amicus mortis”, the friend of the dying.
It’s easy to miss the practical companioning aspect to the care of the dying in our modern, acute-care oriented health system. Creativity and Life coach Helen Carmichael lives in a Bondi flat with a view over that iconic Sydney beach and she watched from her window as an elderly neighbour lay … Read more
Today I’m remembering my brother Julian, who was killed this day five years ago, in a motor-cycle accident near his country property. As our brother, Damian, said in his eulogy for him; “There was an explosion of light too beautiful, and our dear Julian was shot into the Heavens, where … Read more