Category Archives: Dealing with Pain & Grief

A Beautiful Solution to a Heart-breaking Problem

Posted on May 21, 2014 by russtowne

I’ll bet it’s not often that a tough-looking biker club gets called beautiful, but I’m doing it now. Please click on the link to see why. So many of life’s difficult problems can be dealt with in such creative ways. … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Beauty, Bullying, Children, Commitment, Compassion, Courage, Creativity, Dealing with Pain & Grief, Fear, Goodness, Honor, Kindness, Making the World a Better Place, Strength, Suffering, Teamwork, Youth | Tagged abuse, bikers, child abuse, courage, fear, goodness, Hope, kindness, Love, safe, safety, tough | 8 Comments

Falling

Posted on January 2, 2014 by russtowne

My mind often flows in mysterious ways. I’m in Illinois visiting family. Snow fell last night. Outside my window is a beautiful white vista. My grandtwins are making delightful experimental sounds with their mouths in the background. One crawled for … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Challenges, Dealing with Pain & Grief, Friendship, Gratitude, Healing | Tagged Anger, compassion, daughter, despair, desperation, frindship, Grief, Illinois, illness, kindness, Love, man, men, parenting, poison, power, strength, wretch | 21 Comments

Choices and Pain

Posted on December 3, 2013 by russtowne

I believe that when people go through awful experiences–especially situations where other folks hurt us–we have a choice. We can choose to let what we went through become an excuse to close our heart in an attempt to protect ourselves … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Challenges, Choices, Compassion, Courage, Dealing with Pain & Grief, Healing, LIfe Lessons, My Beliefs, My Written Works Misc., Non-Fiction Writing I've Done, Observations, Pain & Grief, Suffering | Tagged choices, courage, decisions, heart, I believe, joy, lasting joy, my beliefs, observations, pain, paths, suffering, will | 22 Comments

To A Friend Who Is Going Through Tough Times

Posted on May 19, 2013 by russtowne

A friend who is going through tough times recently wrote something along the lines that she needed to get out into nature. Dear friend: I wrote the lyric for the song linked above, and Kevin Harris wrote the music. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty, Believe, Dealing with Pain & Grief, Dreams, Feelings/Emotions, Friendship, Goodness, Loneliness, Loss, My Beliefs, Nature, Pain & Grief, Poetry I Wrote, Songs I've Written or Co-Written | Tagged believe, cares, dreams, Friend, Friendship, gifts, goodness, greatness, grieving, Kevin Harris, loss, lyric, music, poem, poetry, song, symphony | 17 Comments

The Choice

Posted on February 28, 2013 by russtowne

In response to a recent post titled, “One Of My Heroes And A Quote That Helps To Explain Why”, a reader asked, “How do you do that–leave it (Ed. note: hatred, bitterness, anger) behind? That is an excellent question. Here … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Attittude, Breakthroughs, Dealing with Pain & Grief, Feelings/Emotions, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Growth/Learning, Healing | Tagged Anger, bitterness, chains, cling, Forgiveness, free, gifts, hatred, hppy, prison | 6 Comments

From Grief To AdDRESSING A Real Need

Posted on February 6, 2013 by russtowne

Sometimes good things come from tragedies. This is one of those stories. Snippets: “When Sherrill and Joe Garrett’s 7-month-old son, Jacob, died in May, they were devastated. “Jacob – whom they called Jake – was their only child together, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Dealing with Pain & Grief, Healing, Kindness, Making the World a Better Place, Stories That Touched Me | Tagged charity, dresses, Dresses For Jake's Dates, girls, Jacob Garrett, Jake, Joe Garrett, Prom, proms, Sherrill Garrett | 1 Comment

If I Could

Posted on January 19, 2013 by russtowne

Your sorrow shows in your eyes and is etched on your face It reflects a weary spirit that is in a painful place The smiling mask you wear when you say everything’s OK Can’t hide from me the tragedy you … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Challenges, Dealing with Pain & Grief, Forgiveness, Healing, Loneliness, Pain & Grief, Poetry I Wrote, Strength | Tagged admire, carry on, courage, darkness, faith, festered, fire, Grief, Hope, hottest, hurt, if I could, Life, life's, long, night, pain, strength, suffered, suffering, symptoms | 14 Comments

Thank You Indeed

Posted on January 18, 2013 by russtowne

I just read a heart-breaking article that was also inspiring and heart-warming. It included several responses to young women who are living with horrifying traumas of various kinds. Snippets: “In a girls’ bathroom stall at my university, girls have written … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Challenges, Compassion, Dealing with Pain & Grief, Love, Making the World a Better Place, Stories That Touched Me, Youth | Tagged beautiful, brave, cares, courage, eating disorders, enough, horrifying, Love, loved, pain, raped, Reddit, stall, strong, The Lookout, trauma, women's, women's restroom, worthy, Y news, Yahoo, Yahoo News | 6 Comments

Where Troubles Melt Like Lemon Drops

Posted on January 16, 2013 by russtowne

The link below is to a group of children from Newtown’s Sandy Hook Elementary School singing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”. Stunningly beautiful heartfelt innocence. May their hearts heal as quickly as their voices and faces have melted mine. http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/children-record-song-benefit-newtown-conn-causes-131022810–abc-news-topstories.html Russ

Posted in Adversity, Beauty, Children, Dealing with Pain & Grief, Healing, Vids & Stories That Touched Me | Tagged ABC, ABC News, children singing, Newtown, Sandy Hook Elementary, School, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, United Way | 6 Comments

A Hole In My Heart That Wouldn’t Heal

Posted on January 6, 2013 by russtowne

This post is dedicated to all who have had someone dear to them choose to turn their back on them and walk away. If you have a hole in your heart that has never quite healed, this post is for … Continue reading →