Negative emotions related to grieving are usually tied to a set of painful memories. They are active at any time when some present life occurrence may trigger our memory of a lost loved one. We may seem to possess a calm outward appearance, but inside our hearts are experiencing a nightmarish existence as tender memories bring back pain and emotional hurt over and over again.

Preparation School was once again in the offing. Just two more weeks and Rhee would ride the school bus ten miles with other students.

The Power of a Smile! Have you ever thought about all the things in the world that have the power to instantly make a situation better? There’s a warm chocolate chip cookie, finding twenty dollars in your pocket that you had forgotten about, a handwritten note from a loved one, a hot cup of cocoa on a cold night, and a phone call from a dear one sharing a good moment with you. Perhaps more powerful than any of these is a smile.

While watching tv the other night, a commercial came on that got my attention. Yeah, that’s right. Believe it or not, an ad that was worth watching. In a closeup of his face, the owner of a local business was speaking directly into the camera. And lo and behold, he was actually not pushing his product!

When a family built their house, they found huge sandstone rocks of various sizes on their land. Some were five feet by three or four feet by ten inches thick! They noticed unusual impressions in them.

Learning Until I Die! A number of people seem to think that they go to school, get an education, pass all the tests, and the rest should be easy. Unfortunately, that thought process is way out in left field.

What has happened to “I gotta go to work” anyway? Seems so many so-called adults have just decided that holding a job is for the birds. You hear them whine, “Yeah, I have a job, but I don’t want to have to show up on the days I got something better to do.

Two dogs were resting under a tree in the park. Butch, the collie said, “Look at that dog walking with his mater. He has no freedom like we do while he is on that leash.” The other dog, a shepherd named Sleepy replied, “Actually, he has no freedom even off the leash. When the leash is removed at his master’s home, the home belongs to his master and the yard where he lives is fenced and belongs to his master. The food and water comes from his master. The dog owns nothing of his own.”

Some things never change. An editorial in a local newspaper in August 1960 quoted a youngster, “My parents are just too busy with their own affairs. They will see that I have clothes, food and shelter, and in addition, as many of the luxuries as they can afford to give me, but when it comes to actually spending some time with me, talking, enjoying recreation together or even taking interest in my homework, well, they just won’t give me the time of day.” The editorial was discussing the fact that school would begin in a few weeks and schools would attempt to educate children “in spite of themselves.”

What does fly-fishing have to do with healing your grief? I love to fish and especially fly-fish. I am a novice fly-fisherman. Someone who understands the sport of fly-fishing recognizes there are certain insect hatches that take place from early spring until late fall. Wading into the water to carefully examine what is going on in a lake, river or pond can underscore what the fish are feeding on. What some people don't understand is that fish feed under the water surface as the insect hatches rise from under the service of the water. [We therefore fly-fish under the surface - we call this "wet flyfishing". Other hatches have insects landing on the surface. [We fish with the fly floating on the surface of the water - we call this "dry fly fishing.”] In either case these hatches often cause a feeding frenzy. Capturing the ability to recognize what insect has caused the feeding frenzy and duplicate it with a fly always leads to success. I have fished with several different fly patterns with no success and then finally recognized the correct fly pattern and caught fish on almost every cast. Life is like that - to succeed often there is a need to change or adopt a new strategy. Goal setting can assist in our grieving strategy also. As a chaplain I have had the