My Podcast Site

Images in Grief

Have you ever just sat around the house and thought about the days of the past? Sometimes I think about the days when I was a child; going to school, and playing at the park. Other times I think about the day I met my wife and the day I got married. As much as I like to think about these days, I must confess that it’s the images that I can still envision when I close my eyes that keep these memories alive. These images are like videos and freeze frame images that have been recorded into my mind, and written on my heart. It’s amazing really. But just as much as we may enjoy these images of good days past, we’ve all seen those images that we wish would just plain go away.
This morning I spoke with a man named John who told me that after his wife passed away he tried to think about the good days of the past, but the only images that would come to his mind, were those of being in a hospital. John would go to sleep trying to ponder wonderful times to bring him rest, but was often disturbed by seeing images of his wife in distress, the oxygen up to her nose, and the final breaths of her life. The question that John had for me; how can I get rid of these images, and begin thinking once again of the good times that we shared?
It is quite normal to have these images while in the grieving process. Images of the hospital, images of medical equipment, and even images of our loved one at the time they passed away. So to answer Johns question of how can we rid ourselves of these images, the answer is to try to replace them with pictures of you and your loved one experiencing better days.
Though it may be difficult to surround ourselves with pictures of our recently deceased loved one, looking at these pictures can be a great help in replacing these painful images. Keep a few pictures with you in places like your wallet, your purse, your office, or your car. Look at these images often, and focus your mind and your heart on better times. As we’ve all noticed, it’s easier to remember the most recent events that have taken place in our life, so if you’re thinking of your deceased loved one, then the most recent event would be their death. Therefore, replace the most recent event of the death, with the memories of these pictures. And though you may find some difficulty while looking at these pictures, understand that these pictures will help you cope with the passing of your loved one, and they’ll replace the negative images and memories, with much better images and memories.
Download the New iPhone app titled "Grief Support" from the Apple App store to get more audio, video, and discussion guides to help you or your loved ones thru the grieving process.
Join our online Grief Community www.mygriefsupportgroup.ning.com

Coping with Guilt in Grief

There are so many different feelings, emotions, and conditions that we cope with while going thru the grieving process. Anger, Fear, sadness, regret, depression, and anxiety are at the forefront of these conditions. But one condition that I feel can be debilitating to ones grief process, is Guilt.
Guilt is a condition that causes us to post blame on ourselves for the passing of our loved one. We say things like “Maybe I could have done something different, maybe I could have done more, maybe if I would have been around more often this wouldn’t have happened.” These phrases and many more like it can run thru the bereaved minds many times in the course of a day, while at the same time it may feel like there’s a judge sitting on our shoulders smacking his gave on our skull l declaring guilty guilty guilty.  And though we’d love to throw that judge off our shoulders, it seems that his hold on us can be much stronger than we can manage.
So the question is—is there a way to throw this guilt off of our shoulders? The truth is we’re all different, our circumstances are also all different, but my friend if you’re feeling the guilt over the passing of your loved one, let me encourage you to re focus. Sometimes in grief, we look for a reason as to why our loved one passed away, many times, we look for someone to blame, and in some cases we look into the mirror and blame ourselves.
If you’re feeling guilt since the loss of your loved one I encourage you to redirect your attention from feeling guilt and regret, to feeling thankful and Love. Don’t think only about what you could have done; think about what you did do. Don’t think about what you didn’t get to say to your loved one before they passed away, ponder the words you did share. We need to retrain our thought from only thinking about the negative and begin thinking about the positive. This will help you cope better with the passing of our loved one, and give you the strength you need to get thru this difficult time of grief in your life. Tell the judge who has claimed guilty to go home, my friend, it’s time to be set free.
 
***Download the new Grief Support iPhone App for $2.99 by visiting the Apple App Store
Become a member of the Grief Support Social Network. Meet others who are going thru the grief process, create your own page, upload videos, photos, and chat with counselors for FREE at www.mygriefsupportgroup.ning.com

Joy in Grief (Song Recorded Live)

While journeying through grief, we cant help but be reminded of the wonderful things we love about a person. But the one thing that helps us is knowing that their in heaven. That is what this song is about.

When It's Difficult to be Thankful

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, most people anticipate a nice meal; Turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, and of course that pumpkin pie. Many families have taken on the tradition of telling each other of all that they are thankful for. But as much as many people enjoy this day of thanksgiving, this day can also be a reminder of the things and the people that we don’t with us have anymore.
Yes the holidays can trigger our emotions to sadness and loneliness as we remember that special person who had passed away, and rightfully so. But listen, we don’t have to spend the day depressed; we can choose to be thankful regardless of the circumstances we’re had to face throughout the year.
Listen, losing a loved one isn’t easy, and grief is an ongoing process that can appear never ending, but this holiday I encourage you to be thankful to one who gave you the opportunity to know, love, and cherish that special loved one. Give thanks to the Lord for that special loved on, and thank the Lord for your life and your future. Because though we may be grieving the loss of a loved one at this time of the year, we mustn’t neglect to be thankful to our Lord who will never leave our side, yes God will always be there, and my friend that is something that we can always be thankful for.
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook by visiting www.joeprainito.com Here you will also find more Devotional Podcasts, or you may find it easier to subscribe via iTunes by searching Joe Prainito Audio Devotional. You may purchase my book "Living and Dying Without Regret" in both paperback and eBook at the bookstore at www.joeprainito.com

Fear in the midst of Grief

When we lose a loved one, there are many different emotions that we feel. We can feel angry, depressed, hopeless, and sad. However there is one condition that can also take residence in the heart of the bereaved and that's fear. Fear of what may or may not come in the future. Fear of wheather happpiness will ever find us again. Fear of whether we will ever be able to laugh, smile, sing, dance, and love again. Yes fear is something that we've all had at one time or another, however, fear is not an attribute that we need to maintain durung the grieving process. In fact, we need to rid ourselves of fear, and activate our faith in God.
Scripture tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but He's given us a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. And Exedus 14:14 tells us that "The Lord will Fight for us and we shall hold our peace". Does this sound good to you? Then I encourage you to trust in the Lord for your future. God knows you lost a loved one, in fact Jesus weeps with you over your loss. However God wants you to live a full life of peace, love, and joy. So activate power, love and a sound mind today, by  trusting in the Lord with your whole heart.
Join our online support group at www.mygriefsupportgroup.ning.com or for more information or porduct info visit www.joeprainito.com