There are many reasons why people might spiral into an abyss of grief. What makes it more challenging is when they also feel they can’t fully express themselves or seem to come to terms with the loss. Finding support to not only accept grief and loss but also learn methods to move through it often...Read More

Acceptance is a complicated process. Acceptance is a final stage of the grieving process defined by Elisabeth Kubler Ross. We come and go throughout acceptance during the entire process of grieving. If our grieving goes undealt with, we may never reach acceptance, which means our grief never gets resolved. As a result… …We never let...Read More

Grief goes through many stages which can be difficult to cope with. Feeling the actual feelings of grief until a final stage of acceptance can be reached is not as easy as turning to maladaptive coping behaviors instead. These are some of the common ways people cope with grief in order to avoid feeling the...Read More

  Anger, depression, bargaining, acceptance, denial. These are the five stages of grief which never appear in any particular order or quantity. Grief is a process of mourning as well as healing. Grieving a loss can take time and energy, at times feeling as though it may never end. The grieving process can take days,...Read More

Dealing with grief during the holidays… Children looking at holiday cards ~ 1910 Did you ever stop to wonder why we have so many major holidays crammed into the last 90 days of the year? For many of us these holidays hold special memories of our childhood. These memories may be positive or negative, depending...Read More

Cottonwood’s Sonoran Desert landscape is a living workshop! “…a workshop is where you do actually get feedback on your work, not just something where you go and sit for a day.”  Octavia E. Butler – American Writer  Workshop is a very positive word. If you think about your home environment, you might have a workshop...Read More

Don’t worry, be happy… It was September 1988, that’s right 25 years ago, when Bobby McFerrin’s song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” was released. Here are a couple of interesting facts about this song: It was the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart The original music video included...Read More

Look For The Silver Lining Look for the silver lining When e’er a cloud appears in the blue. Remember some where the sun is shining, And so the right thing to do, Is make it shine for you. A heart, full of joy and gladness, Will always banish sadness and strife. So always look for...Read More

English: Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad looking at an album of photographs. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Recovery is a process, we take simple steps one day at a time. We learn how to live sober and we relearn how to work through issues and day to day events, all the while keeping our eye on...Read More

This week our nation observed Veterans Day. While Veterans Day is a day to honor all who have served in the military for our country, it is not to be confused with Memorial Day which is a day to honor all who died in service to our country. Both days cause us to reach out...Read More