A weekly newsletter delivering sibling loss specific grief resources, support and validation, coping strategies, sibling loss stories, news from The Broken Pack, and much more- including exclusive content and opportunities for subscribers. |
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Hello, Reader ! The leaves of fig trees have a distinct scent, as do tomato plants. Together, these scents take me back in time to the gardens of my grandparents, parents, and extended family. In all of those memories, my brother, Tony, is there – whether we are laughing about who knows what, playing baseball with ridiculously long squash and other fruit our grandfather grew, or being bored together. In each of these memories, I can hear and see my brother’s distinct laugh and smile that he carried through the rest of his life. This past week, as I watered my small patio garden and my fig tree (named Frank not just for alliteration but also for our grandfather, Francesco, and for Tony whose middle name was Francis), these memories came with joy, peace, and a fleeting moment of longing and sadness. Taken together, these experiences can be defined as nostalgia- which is largely positive and helps us feel connected to our past and our loved ones or ancestors. If, however, you find yourself stuck in the past and unable to connect to the present, it may be time to seek professional help. I have created a rather new ritual of just sitting outside and looking at these plants and the beautiful, engraved wind chime that was given to me by my cousins at Tony’s funeral It sits among these plants. And quite often, the numerous birds remind me of my ancestors, including my brother. I’ll have a cup of one of my favorite teas and find peace out there. How have you found nostalgic moments, memories, and connection with your deceased siblings or other loved ones? Respond to me! I’d love to hear. A special offer for sharing your story!I have been truly humbled by the reception of the podcast and the number of people seeking to share their story on it. As such, I am excited to share something I have been working on which is another opportunity to share your story – and to connect with others! I’m very excited to share that this course, Sharing my Story of Sibling Loss: A Primer, will help you take a deeper look into your sibling relationship, the loss, and the impact of both of those on you. It will be a mix of learning and writing – in which my hope is that you will learn about yourself, your sibling relationship, family dynamics, the loss, your grief (and grief in general as well as sibling grief specifically), and relative psychological concepts. In the end, you will have a cohesive memoir of sorts that you can reflect on, review, share, and edit. AND, if you so choose, you will have the option of sharing this story on a special episode of the podcast. You will have access to an interactive online community of peers (including myself) for a year and several years’ access to the course materials. I am pleased to offer a presale sale price on this course of $194 (value is $499). Seats in this course will be limited to ensure it meets your needs! So, if you are interested, please make sure to sign up when it goes on pre-sale. Pre-sale begins this Friday, June 9th and will end on July 3rd or when seats are filled, whichever comes first. I will send out a link on Thursday June 8th for the sale. Please feel free to pass this information on to anyone who may be interested. Please follow us on social media (links below) for more content. Warmly, Angela |
