Find What You Need Today. Come Back, Tomorrow.

Welcome Family and Friends of Gracious Care Hospice,

As you cope with loss and grief, we invite you to take time out to tune into your needs. Find what speaks to you in this moment. Bookmark this page and come back again.
  • The information contained in this online format is educational and supportive in nature.
  • Contact our grief counseling services at 503.893.9866.
  • If you need immediate support, please call your local Crisis Intervention agency, 9-8-8, or contact www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Featured Video:
For Coping With Holidays, Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Other Special Events

Holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and more can hit you with sudden waves of grief, leaving gaping holes of pain. What can you do? Can you find moments of wholeness, even in the midst of grief’s holes? Here’s how.

Download and print this list of our videos. Make notes for yourself. Talk about these with your grief counselor or support group. Use these for comfort, hope, and healing.

Question Title

Image

Question Title

Use these controls to adjust volume and size of the screen (lower right corner of each video). Please report any technical difficulties to support@composinglife.com.

<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Use these controls to adjust volume and size of the screen (lower right corner of each video). Please report any technical difficulties to <a href="mailto:support@composinglife.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">support@composinglife.com</a>.</span>

Question Title

Image
What Is Grief?

Loss hits us in many ways. This loss--likely--is connected with other losses. Simply naming them can help you validate your grief experiences from the past, and understand your uniquely personal experience of this loss, at this time.

Your grief is deeply personal. You're sure to be experiencing it in many ways: anticipatory grief, sudden, disenfranchised (or discounted), and others. Explore these to understand your personal journey better: past, present, and ahead.

Question Title

Image
Hope for Coping

Does grief really end with "acceptance"? Researchers have found that grief begins with accepting a bit of reality. And, it's less "stages" and more of an ongoing process. Check it out!

Instead of "stages" you achieve, grief is more of a going back forth between moments of "loss" and "restoration." Do you know, the words “mourning” and “morning” come from the same root word? How can this apply to you?"

Question Title

Image
Care for Your Whole Self

Grief can deplete your physical health and well-being. You've given your care to your loved one. It's time to take care of you! See how grief might be affecting you, and learn what you can do.

Are your emotions on a roller coaster? Do you find yourself not thinking clearly? Explore normal emotional and mental reactions to grief, with things you can do to get through everyday life, better.

For others, life has moved on. For you, realities of your loss are settling in. You might feel out of place with friends or social groups. You may be leaning into your spiritual beliefs--or--you may be questioning them. Here's guidance for finding your way.

  .

Question Title

Image
Being In and Moving Through Mourning

In coping with grief, do you prefer to feel it and talk about it to others--or--do you prefer to be more logical about it and do something with it? Learn about "intuitive" and "instrumental" styles of grieving. What's your style?

Throughout the year, you check the weather to know how to prepare for the day. With grief, we can do much the same. Explore ways that seasonal and daily "weather" are much like seasonal and daily "grief."

Likely, you have many physical "things" left by your family member to deal with. Memories are everywhere! Do you scrap ‘em? Store ‘em? Or "stitch" ‘em together, making a new tapestry / quilt for life ahead?
  .

Question Title

Image


Video Segments (click on the video’s progress bar): 0:00 Com = With; 0:29 Different Kinds of Community Loss; 1:24 Who Is Affected? How?; 6:57 Re-Lation-Ships; 8:22 Impact for Already-Bereaved Persons; 9:39 Care for Your Whole Self; 13:58 Months and Years Ahead

Question Title

Image

Question Title

* Which videos do you find to be helpful? (Check all that apply)

Question Title

Image

Question Title

(c) 2024. Composing Life Out of Loss. All rights reserved.

<span style="font-size: 10pt;">(c) 2024. Composing Life Out of Loss. All rights reserved.</span>
To Exit, click "Close."
( Privacy & Cookie Notice

T