Monthly reflections from Kevin Keelen.
Each month, our bereavement minister Kevin Keelen shares a short reflection: a thought, a story, or a gentle companion for wherever you are on your grief journey. New writings appear here as they are published.
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What a Bargain
What a Bargain Dear Friends, Death has a way of forcing us to face the ULTIMATE questions- the most important questions in life- – What is life all about? – Who is God? – Is there a God? – What is God up to? – Why would God let this happen? – Why now? –…
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From Darkness to Light Holidays
From Darkness to Light Dear Friends, If I hear “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” one more time I may explode. Don’t you just love it when people or songs or billboards or commercials or decorations or movies or tv shows try to tell you how to feel? I just returned from a…
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20 years
Dear Friends, It’s hard to believe that it has been twenty years since the world was changed forever on September 11, 2001. With such a great amount of time having passed, we are able to look back now and see things in ways we were unable to back then. It was twenty years ago that…
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The Quest
The Quest Dear Friends, Back in my college days, I was very active in theater, and I had the awesome opportunity to play the role of Sancho Panza in the musical, Man of La Mancha. It was a blast. I got to follow a crazed knight on his glorious quest, no matter how hopeless, no…
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Helping Others Helps
Helping Others Helps Dear Friends, As I sit down to write this morning’s reflection, at least where I live, I am enormously grateful that Hurricane Henri has proven to be no big deal, and I pray for those in its path. “We have been devastated by loss. We are tormented. Yet what happens if we…
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Survivor’s Guilt pdf
Survivor’s Guilt Dear Friends, “Survivor’s guilt tells you that you have done something wrong for merely surviving something tragic.” (Akua Boateng, PhD, LPC, Healthline) A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I would address the issue of ‘survivor’s guilt’ and particularly how it has emerged dramatically during the pandemic. After 9-11, we had a very…
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Mourning Walk
Dear Friends, I am thoroughly looking forward to our annual Mourning Walk on Sunday September 12th! I must confess that although it is VERY early in the morning, the experience of actually getting up for this particular purpose felt really good for me the past few years. I even enjoyed practicing mindfulness on the ride…
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July 18 This one’s for you Aunt Marie
This One’s For You Dear Friends, I am so grateful for the break that Stephy’s Place provided these past two weeks. We all usually need a break from something, and the relief it provides can be surprising at times. In grief, it’s very hard to catch a break. Just when we think we may be…
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Intention to Heal
The Intention to Heal Dear Friends, In every support group, I always recommend the book, Permission to Mourn, by Tom Zuba. It is an amazingly helpful and insightful book for many reasons: First and foremost is that Tom truly understands grief; he lost two children and his beloved wife in a relatively short amount of…
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Father’s Day How We Survive
How We Survive Dear Friends, Today is Father’s Day, a difficult day for me, even though it has been 38 years since I lost my dad when I was 20. I still miss my father and I still love him. I still feel his love for me, as it is part of the fuel that…