COJ Newsletters
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Be inspired by the seasonal changes
As we roll into the month of November, we start to notice a lot of change happening all around. The leaves that were once vibrant green turn colors and start to become piles in our yards; the weather starts to get colder, and people begin to take down their...
Finding a new life as a young widow
I think COJ is a space where there's freedom to speak your mind. To have your emotions seen. COJ does a wonderful job of holding sadness and joy at the same time because grief is so devastating. There's always sadness, but if you look, there can be joy there, too....
Cooper’s Grief Story
I was in the fifth grade when I started seeing COJ. It helped me realize that I'm not alone in the world and that it's a natural thing to be grieving. For the first time, I was actually shocked when I heard people talking about their losses and everything that...
Gabrielle’s Grief Story
They (COJ) helped me find different ways to deal with my grief, other than just sit there and be sad. But just knowing that I'm not alone and other people have gone through it too. Even if you feel uncomfortable going through it at first, it gets better, and there...
Lily’s Grief Story
When I went back to school (after my mom died), I kind of prepared myself more. I missed a lot of school when she was in hospice or in the hospital. I was spending a lot of time there, and I feel like a lot of people kind of already knew what was going on. I kind...
Kelly Carstens, Ridge Junior HS Counselor, explains the impact of grief support on her students
When I realized how many of my students were experiencing grief, I realized how much more important it was for me to get children into these groups so that they could have this support. Because grieving alone is not the same as grieving with others. And not saying...
Supporting Elementary Students in Grief
When someone isn’t actively displaying grief, crying, or having a tantrum or showing a big emotion, we think they’re okay. And to a certain extent, they are okay. But it doesn’t mean they’re not grieving. Grief is something that we carry on the inside a lot of...
Navigating Life After a Suicide Loss
You feel very alone when you’ve had a loss like this. And even though other friends, relatives, loved ones reach out to you, give you support, it isn’t the same as the feeling that you get when you’re in a group with other people who’ve experienced a similar loss....
Practicing gratitude
by Baylie Barnhill Living with grief, we can often experience feelings of emptiness. One effective strategy to counter this is to practice gratitude. To cope with emptiness, it can be beneficial to acknowledge all of the love we hold in our hearts for our lives,...