Finishing Strong: Moments of Life Made Possible by Hospice.

"In September 2012, Bryan Caldwell was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. A former professional football player in the NFL, rancher and surfer, he embodies strength. His wife, Krista, a nurse with Houston Hospice El Campo, even tells the story of how the morning before he was diagnosed, Bryan mowed the yard with a collapsed lung.

Six months into his fight with lymphoma, Bryan learned his cancer was unresponsive to medical treatments. He knew he wanted to spend his remaining time living without pain, at home, surrounded by all he loved. So he chose hospice care.

'Our whole philosophy is not to stay sitting, it’s to stay moving and to keep living each moment that comes along,' says Bryan. 'Hospice provides that golden opportunity for me, every single day. If I have the energy and I feel up to it, I’m getting out there'.”

Dying 6-year-old leaves thank-you note for parents.

"Amber Shoemake and her husband Tim came home from the hospital to pick out burial clothes for their 6-year-old son.

That’s when the grieving parents found a handwritten note from Leland on the living room table – and immediately burst into tears.

“We were shocked. We broke down and cried for a long time. We have no idea when he wrote it,” Shoemake told the Star in messages sent on Facebook.

“Still with you. Thank you mom + dad. Love,” read Leland’s note, written in red marker and shared by the family on Facebook. He also coloured in a red heart with the words “Mom dad Love” written inside. The note’s last line appears to read “Good bye,” but Shoemake said she believed her son wrote “Good day.”

'I cried hysterically. He was so awesome in life and this family revolved around him and here he was still caring for us even after he’s gone,' said Shoemake"

Navigating Grief and Loss as an Autistic Adult.

"The deaths I have experienced have mostly been at an arm’s length, due to family tensions, geographical separation, or a combination thereof.  Until recently, I’d only ever been to one viewing — a member of my stepmother’s family whom I barely knew.

As a result, I have no blueprint for the what to expect in the social situations that have come with an event like this.  I have been forced to guess my way through, at a time when my typical abilities are compromised by the emotional overload brought about by loss and grief. How well have I done? I honestly do not know.  I don’t know what standard I’m being held to, and by whom.  I have had to simply do my best, but I have been haunted by my struggle to know exactly what I need to do to be a good friend to someone who is no longer here to tell me what she expects".

48 Questions to Ask Your Kids.

Talking to young children about death Death. It’s a tough topic for grown-ups, let alone kids. How should we talk about it with them?

"Death. It’s a tough topic for grown-ups, let alone kids. When you become a parent, you expound upon every aspect of parenting with your family and friends until you’re blue in the face. How many long and drawn-out conversations have I had about breastfeeding, crying it out, and kindergarten curriculums?

But death? Hardly at all.

“I think our society in general does not want to talk about death and doesn’t want to deal with the messiness of grief,” said Emily Long, a licensed counselor and author of Sensitive Conversations: Talking with Kids About Death, Grief, and Violence . “So it is something that does get avoided a lot with kids — and in general.”

But kids, the most curious of creatures, won’t let you avoid it for long."

Read on about What to say - and not to say....

The Science of Resilience: Why Some Children Can Thrive Despite Adversity.

"When confronted with the fallout of childhood trauma, why do some children adapt and overcome, while others bear lifelong scars that flatten their potential? A growing body of evidence points to one common answer: Every child who winds up doing well has had at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive adult".