What if grief isn’t the end of joy—but the doorway back to it? In this episode of Journey from Grief to Healing, Ray invites us to make a subtle yet powerful shift: from mourning what we’ve lost to celebrating what we once loved. With wisdom from the Buddha and a luminous poem by J.R.R. Tolkien, Ray explores how even in sorrow, there are still stars in blossom, rivers like silver, and songs waiting to be sung. If you’re looking for hope in hard times, this gentle reflection will guide you toward the dawn.

💭 Five Points to Ponder

• How a small shift in thought can reframe grief into gratitude
• Tolkien’s poetic invitation to dance and sing through the shadows
• Why joy is not the absence of pain, but its companion
• How silence and stillness create sacred space for healing
• The gentle power of choosing to remember the beauty, not just the loss

Sleepless with sorrow? You’re not alone. In this moving episode of Journey from Grief to Healing, Ray reads Robert Herrick’s timeless poem, “Sweet Spirit, comfort me,” offering companionship for those haunted by late-night grief. Through poetry and reflection, this episode brings hope to the darkest hours—when you don’t need answers, just presence. Whether you’re lying awake or walking through sorrow, this episode gently reminds you: comfort is closer than you think.

Points to Ponder

• Why does grief often feel heavier at night—and what can help us carry it?
• What does the repetition in Herrick’s poem offer the grieving heart?
• How do we experience the unseen presence of comfort or the divine in silence?
• In what ways can poetry serve as a spiritual anchor during emotional storms?
• Can hope exist in the smallest flicker—and is that enough to hold on?

What if the strange knocking in the night of your grief isn’t danger… but something sacred? In this deeply moving episode of Journey from Grief to Healing, we explore D.H. Lawrence’s poem “The Song of a Man Who Has Come Through.” You’ll discover how grief carves us still, and how the invisible wind of change stirs us gently toward hope—if only we let it in. This is an invitation to feel, to trust, and to admit the three strange angels that just might lead you to wonder again.

🧠 5 Points to Ponder

• What if grief’s weight is not just sorrow, but resistance to change?
• Could a poem be the companion we need most—one that doesn’t fix us, but simply walks beside us?
• Are you the rock… or the wedge? And what might split open if you let the wind carry you?
• Is the knocking at your heart something to fear—or is it an invitation from sacred change?
• What if admitting your sorrow is also how you admit transformation?

Even the brightest summer day can feel dimmed by grief. In this episode of Journey from Grief to Healing, we draw strength from Leo Tolstoy’s profound reminder that the human spirit holds a light no darkness can extinguish. Through reflection, encouragement, and a little sunshine from San Antonio, we explore how even in our hardest moments, hope survives. Your inner flame is still burning—and it’s strong enough to lead you home.💡

5 Points to Ponder

• Grief can blind us even to beauty—but beauty remains, waiting to be seen again.
• Leo Tolstoy believed in an inner brilliance that darkness cannot destroy.
• The human spirit is not fragile—it’s fire-tested, luminous, and quietly persistent.
• Even the tiniest spark of hope can be a guiding light in overwhelming sorrow.
• You are not your pain; you are the keeper of a resilient and radiant flame.

What do you do when life hands you a storm you never saw coming? In this poignant episode of Journey from Grief to Healing, Ray shares the gripping story of a friend’s near-tragic loss during the Texas floods—and the six-hour silence that tested a family’s strength. Reflections on poems by Mary Oliver and Katherine Mansfield give shape to the emotional rollercoaster of grief, reminding us that storms eventually pass, and love is our most precious gift. A must-listen for anyone learning to hold on and let go all at once.

5 Points to Ponder

• What does it mean to live as if life is truly “wild and precious”?
• How can grief sharpen our awareness of the people who are still with us?
• Why is silence sometimes more powerful than words in moments of pain?
• What personal storms have shaped your understanding of love and loss?
• In what ways can poetry help give meaning to what feels unspeakable?

When grief threatens to pull us under, we face a powerful choice: life or death—not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. In this episode of Journey from Grief to Healing, we reflect on a verse from Deuteronomy, poetic wisdom from Wordsworth, and even a photo of a pizza-loving great-granddaughter to explore how choosing life can ignite the embers of hope within us. This is your invitation to keep going—and to find joy in the little things.

5 Points to Ponder

• Deuteronomy 30:19 inspires the theme—every day presents a clear, soul-level choice: life or death, hope or despair.
• Hope lives in us—it’s written into our DNA. Choosing life rekindles that dormant ember.
• Pain is part of living, but not the whole picture. Love, joy, and connection make up far more of our human experience.
• Small joys matter most—a photo, a shared slice of pizza, a dancing daffodil can remind us why life is still beautiful.
• Poetry as healing—Wordsworth’s “Daffodils” captures the heart’s quiet return to joy and the miracle of simple beauty.

Death hurts—and it keeps on hurting in ways time doesn’t erase. In this episode, Ray reflects on the nine years since his wife’s death and the “hole in the soul” that never filled in. Drawing strength and companionship from Victor Hugo’s poem Tomorrow at Dawn, he explores how grief changes shape but remains part of us. You’ll hear why accepting the hole isn’t giving up—it’s how we live, love, grow, and honor those we miss. If you’re carrying your own emptiness, you’re not alone. Walk on with us.

5 Salient Points

• Grief is long, unpredictable, and unavoidable for emotionally healthy people.
• Over time, acute pain fades—but the absence remains as a “hole in the soul.”
• Acceptance doesn’t close the hole; it lets us live with it.
• Victor Hugo’s Tomorrow at Dawn mirrors the universal ache of enduring loss.
• We honor our loved ones by continuing to live, grow, and walk forward—hole and all.

Have you ever felt like grief left your mind playing the same sorrowful line over and over—like a stuck needle on a vinyl record? In this episode, Ray explores how we get emotionally stuck in grief, the cost of refusing to grow, and the healing power of choosing to move forward. With poetic wisdom from Christina Rossetti and E.E. Cummings, you’ll be invited to toss the vinyl and start streaming life again—one moment at a time.

5 Salient Points from the Episode

• Vinyl as Metaphor: Just like a needle stuck on a record, our thoughts can loop endlessly in grief.
• Emotional Stagnation: Holding onto sorrow can turn our homes and hearts into museums of loss.
• Rossetti’s Wisdom: Her poem Remember encourages letting go with grace—not guilt.
• Growth vs. Decline: Life is always moving—either we grow forward, or we slip backward.
• New Soundtrack: The journey forward may be slow, but choosing to live—“do it and repeat”—is the healing rhythm.

Podcast Summary for iTunes & Spotify

In this touching episode of Journey from Grief to Healing, we explore the tender thread of yearning—that quiet, constant ache for a loved one who’s gone. It hums beneath the surface of ordinary moments and reminds us that love never leaves quietly. Through poetic reflection, personal stories, and timeless wisdom from ancient poets like Li Po and e.e. cummings, we discover how yearning reveals both our sorrow and our sacred connection. This episode gently guides listeners toward healing—not by forgetting, but by learning to move forward with grace, courage, and hope.

5 Salient Points from the Script

• Yearning is a universal and deeply emotional part of grief, often more powerful than sadness itself.
• Li Po’s poem “Endless my Yearning” beautifully captures the soul’s ache to reconnect with someone who is gone.
• Experiencing a loved one’s presence or voice after death is a normal part of grief for many.
• Grief counselors can offer vital support when yearning interferes with daily life—seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
• Healing is gradual and nonlinear—but with time, moments of beauty, peace, and purpose grow stronger than the pain.

When Grief Pushes, Life Pulls

When someone we love dies, we don’t choose to move on—life nudges us forward. Gently. Quietly. Sometimes stubbornly.

In this episode, we explore how the light returns after the darkness, one moment at a time.

✨ Featuring moving poetry by Jovan Jovanovich Zmaj and Henry Van Dyke

🎙️ Real talk. Real healing. Real hope.

👉 Listen now on Journey from Grief to Healing