by Dr. Deanna Shrodes | Aug 30, 2023 | Grief, Loss, Relationships
Today was a hard day. My friend Bev Guidt passed away, in Richmond, Virginia. It was a total shock. I am still sitting here shaking my head wondering,”What in the world?!” Bev recently went into the hospital for surgery on her spine. Then she was released...
by Dr. Deanna Shrodes | Jul 26, 2023 | Caregiving, Family, Grief, Loss, Relationships
It’s been a year since I brought Gus home to live with me and to take care of him until he took his last breath. On Saturday I went into his room and did my usual brief pause, patted the bed, and slowly walked out, shutting the door. Exhaling, I wondered when I...
by Dr. Deanna Shrodes | Jul 12, 2023 | Grief, Loss, Recovery, Trauma
Not long ago, I was having a talk with my assistant and friend, Judi Cotignola, about trauma, grief, loss and moving forward. We noticed something about the people in our lives who had experienced these tragedies. Some had moved forward and were seeing great things...
by Dr. Deanna Shrodes | May 23, 2023 | Grief, Loss
I am unabashedly a dog mom. I have adult children who are wonderful human beings, but I also have other living beings that I take care of who reside in my house. And they mean the world to me. (By the way, new research suggests that cat and dog ‘moms’ and...
by Dr. Deanna Shrodes | May 17, 2023 | Adoptees, Family, Grief, Loss, Relationships
“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.” Washington Irving I stare...
by Dr. Deanna Shrodes | May 6, 2023 | Grief, Loss, Stress, Stress Management
Since entering my season of grief in December, it has felt like I’m in a fog, specifically brain fog. Creative ideas typically flow out of me like Niagara Falls, gushing forth with everything from blog posts to sermons, to team meeting ideas, to books, to articles, to...