Category Archives: Grief Stories

MY DOUBT IS SOMETHING I CANNOT DENY

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Judy

My newest song is dedicated to many special people in my life. At this moment, I am praying for my friend, Magda G. who suffers dreadfully with multiple sclerosis and for Marilyn B. who is my inspiration as she fights multiple myeloma. Continue reading →

SEEING YOU SOMEDAY

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Judy

If my song comforts another person, I always feel blessed. Continue reading →

Posted in Grief Stories | Tagged acknowledging grief, acknowledgment, acoustic guitar, adjusting to loss, composing, coping with grief, discouraged by grief, Empathy and Grief, friendship and grief, grief, GRIEF RELATED, guitar, haunting melody, having hope, healing from grief, healing music, hope, hope of healing, hopeful and optimistic, hopefulness and grief, http://doyleswidow.wordpress.com/, inspiration, Judy Unger, loss, loss of a spouse, lyric development, lyric writing, lyrics, mother, Music, original songs, positive thinking, Relinda, singing, songwriting, widow | 2 Comments

I DIDN’T JUST SURVIVE

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Judy

When I was grieving, the prospect of ever feeling any kind of joy again in life seemed impossible, remote and unbelievable. Continue reading →

Posted in Grief Stories | Tagged "sandwich generation", acoustic guitar, ayahuasca benefits, ayahuasca ceremony, ayahuasca healing, child's death, comfort zone, compassionate friends, composing, coping with grief, death, death of a child, feeling emotion, finding joy, Friendship, grief, grief bereavement "Loss of a Child", GRIEF RELATED, guitar, holding back, Humor, humor daily life, inspiration, loss, lyric line, Music, numbing feelings, original songs, performing, releasing feelings, singing, songwriting, spiritual awakening, suppression of feelings, survival of grief, writing | 6 Comments

WITH ALL THIS PAIN, I CAN’T REMAIN – PART 2

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Judy

Today is my “anniversary of the heart.” My son, Jason, died in 1992 and today he would have been 26 years old. He died at the age of five, so he never grows any older. Forever, he remains frozen in time for me. Continue reading →

Posted in Grief Stories, Healing and Hope | Tagged child's death, compassionate friends, composing, death, death of a child, grief, grief bereavement "Loss of a Child", GRIEF RELATED, guitar, healing, healing from grief, healing music, hopefulness, inspiration, is happiness possible after losing a child, loss, optimism and grief, original songs, singing, songwriting | 9 Comments

YOU’LL TOUCH SO MANY OTHERS

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Judy

I never imagined what my future held; that the young girl who cared for my sick cardiac child would be calling me all these years later. Then Lupe said that it was important for me to know that Jason had definitely affected her life. I choked on my tears when she said, “Judy, there was something so special about Jason and I will never forget him.” Continue reading →

Posted in Grief Stories | Tagged child's death, compassionate friends, congenital heart defect, death, death of a child, Friendship, friendship and loss, grief, grief bereavement "Loss of a Child", GRIEF RELATED, inspiration, loss, memories, motherhood | 2 Comments

HOW CAN I BELIEVE?

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Judy

You will not hear me say, “Time heals.” I have said that hearts do heal and it happens unconsciously. I have said that joy is possible. That is not the same thing. Believe it or not, although time lends some anesthesia to the gut-wrenching pain – for those that succumb to grief it is too late. Grief actually wrecks lives and destroys a persons’ health over time. Healing from grief is torturous hard work. Most people don’t believe they will heal and I was one of those people. Healing isn’t about fixing anything so that’s it goes back to how it was. There are scars forever. And nothing heals when it festers either. In my fourth year of bereavement I wrote: How can my heart ever heal when it continues to bleed? The answer was that it couldn’t! Continue reading →

Posted in Grief Stories | Tagged child's death, compassionate friends, death, death after a long marriage, death of a child, death of a spouse, Friendship, grief, grief and optimism, grief bereavement "Loss of a Child", grief Friendship, GRIEF RELATED, healing from grief, hope, hopelessness, inspiration, loss, loss of a husband, loss of a spouse, loss of a wife, love, lyric development, maintaining hope, Music, optimism, original songs, relationships, sadness, songwriting, widow, widower, writing | Leave a comment

I’LL LIVE WITHIN MY BROKEN HEART

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Judy

I have written before that everyone handles his or her own grief differently. Now, I want to share my own personal beliefs about grief:
It is not recoverable; one adjusts to it.
Healing is possible, and maintaining hope of it can provide sustenance. But the process of healing is uncconscious and happens despite certainty that grief is endless.
Many, many people succumb to their grief.
Grieving is hard work and consumes one’s existence.
Although it is rare, it is possible to find joy again. But finding it is a conscious effort and requires giving oneself permission to be happy. Continue reading →

Posted in Grief Stories | Tagged acoustic guitar, Art and Illustration, autumn leaves, broken heart, child's death, composing, creativity, death, death of a child, Friendship, grief, grief and optimism, grief bereavement "Loss of a Child", GRIEF RELATED, guitar, healing a broken heart, healing from grief, hopeful and optimistic, hopelessness, inspiration, loss, loss of a husband, loss of a spouse, loss of a wife, lovesong, lyric development, lyric writing, lyrics, maintaining hope, Music, optimism, original songs, performing, singing, songwriting, unresolved grief, widow, widower | 2 Comments

YOU HAVE NO HOPE

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Judy

It seemed that she had a lot more to say on the topic of optimism and grief. The post was named Killing Optimism. Her words were searing and the amputation of her soul was complete. It made me realize how foolish grief comparisons were between the loss of a child versus a soul mate. Clearly her amputated soul was nothing I would ever want to measure. Continue reading →

Posted in Grief Stories | Tagged child's death, death, death of a spouse, divorce, divorce after a long marriage, divorce and grief, Friendship, gray divorce, grief, grief and optimism, grief bereavement "Loss of a Child", GRIEF RELATED, healing from grief, hope, hopelessness, inspiration, loss, loss of a husband, loss of a spouse, loss of a wife, love, maintaining hope, optimism, relationships, sadness, separation, separation and divorce, widow, widower, writing | 4 Comments

BESIDE ME ALWAYS – PART 3

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Judy

I have written a new introduction for my book, which I am sharing with this story. Although I will occasionally write updates regarding my parents’ condition, my focus now is to complete my book with it’s accompanying music. I know that will keep me very busy, but I love what I am doing! Continue reading →

Posted in Grief Stories | Tagged acoustic guitar, child's death, compassionate friends, composing, creativity, death, death of a child, drowning from grief, grief, grief and healing, grief bereavement "Loss of a Child", GRIEF RELATED, guitar, healing, healing music, hope for healing, hope of healing, inspiration, Judy Unger, Kulak's Woodshed, Kulak's Woodshed performance, loss, lovesong, lyric development, lyric writing, lyrics, Music, music and healing, My Tears Filled An Ocean, optimism, original songs, performing, singing, songwriting, Torture of grief, voice lessons, writing | Leave a comment

YOU’LL SURROUND ME IN THE BREEZE

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Judy

I remembered how Jason’s tiny body would comfortably lay my chest. His tousled, light brown hair would tickle my cheek as his soft head rested upon my shoulder. As the memory came to me, I felt grief tear through my heart. I gasped as it quickly rushed out of me and into the breeze. A single tear trickled down my cheek. I left the cemetery. There were no more tears.
Continue reading →