Welcome to A Butterfly's Journey BLOG
ABJ Video Blog: HELPING OTHERS – Meet MICHELLE
Video Script: This is Michelle. She chose to heal after losing her brother to an accident, and after surviving a tough battle with breast cancer while mothering a toddler and an infant. You can imagine Michelle went through periods of time that were both sad and...
What a National Grief Conference It Was!
TCF National Conference, July'16 Earlier this month, I was honored to attend and have A Butterfly's Journey be invited to do a "Choose To Heal" photo shoot at The Compassionate Friends (TCF) National Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is the largest US and...
ABJ Video Blog – ENERGY HEALING TIPS – Meet Barbara
Video Script: My name is Barbara J Hopkinson. I chose to heal after losing three children at different ages from three different causes. Then I lost my 30-year-marriage. As you might imagine, I went through a long hard journey with some scary moments. I founded A...
Celebrate The JOY In Your Life!
Even after loss — do you look for JOY? Do you celebrate the joyous occasions in your life? Joy and Grief are intertwined, let the 'joy' parts heal you... I had an extremely joyous occasion in my life recently - my only remaining son married the love of his life last...
ABJ Video Bog: FRIENDS & FAMILY – Meet MAUREEN
Video Script: This is Maureen. She chose to heal after losing her brother to a tragic accident when she was an adolescent. As you might imagine, Maureen went through a period of time that was extremely difficult and frightening. My name is Barbara J Hopkinson of A...
Memorial Day – How To Remember Loved Ones?
Is there a right or wrong way to remember lost loved ones? Is Ritual a useful part of that? Do you remember the pain or the positive memories? While Memorial Day was created to remember the brave men and women in our military that were lost in...
ABJ Video Blog: COOKING – Meet LINDA
Video Script: This is Linda. She chose to heal after losing her husband due to an aneurysm, suddenly, while on vacation with family. You can imagine Linda went through a period of time that was extremely difficult and frightening. My name is Barbara J Hopkinson of A...
What Is Your Toughest Month Of The Year?
Most people have one. It is often tough because of the loss of a loved one close to them. It might be because of the memory or another kind of difficult loss. Grief Recovery Institute says there are more than 40 types of loss that can produce grief, including...
ABJ Video Blog: EXERCISE – Meet GARY & SUSAN
Video Script: This is Gary and Susan. They chose to heal after losing their son in an auto accident. You can understand that Gary and Susan underwent a very difficult time trying to adjust to life without their son. It was natural not to have energy, through that...
More About “Signs” – Do You Believe?”
Do you believe in signs from lost loves ones? Do you look for signs? Do you write them down? I do believe, I do look, and ... I do write them down! It used to feel a little weird, I used to be a little skeptical. But when my 21-year-old son Brent died...
ABJ Video Blog – SPIRITUALITY – MEET BRAD
Video Script: This is Brad. He chose to heal after losing his older brother in a motorcycle accident and his younger brother through stillbirth. You can imagine Brad’s anger and frustration at becoming an only child, his future a bit scary. My name is Barbara J...
Can Spirit Mediums Help Grief?
Can they really? I believe they can... but this is one of those 'based-on-your-belief' topics. If you are comfortable trying them, great. If not, that is okay too. Let me tell you about my experience with mediums and what I've seen. At first, when my 21-yaer-old son...
ABJ Video Blog: NUTRITION – MEET MARIA
Video Script: This is Maria. She chose to heal after losing her son to an unexplained accident. Then she had to get through the fear when her only remaining daughter got severe breast cancer. You can imagine Maria went through a kind of personal Hell twice, that was...
Grief and Eating… the GOOD, the BAD, & the UGLY
Grieving - is food a FRIEND or FOE? Are you an emotional eater? Can the right foods help your stress level? Food can be both friend and foe related to stress and grieving. I know that I am an emotional eater. When stressed, I head for chocolate, wine and ice cream -...
ABJ Video Blog: MEDITATION – Meet EILEEN
Video Script: This is Eileen. She chose to heal after loosing her grandson to cerebral palsy and her daughter to suicide. You can imagine Eileen went through a period of time that was not only mind numbing but extremely difficult, lonely at times and scary. My name...
Finding Your New Normal Through LOVE
How Do I Do That? What do You Mean? Why Do I Care? OK, I get it -- that may sound like a weird statement... but when we are suffering from traumatic loss, we all want to find a new normal -right? Or most of us anyway, that are trying t o make a choice to...
ABJ Video Blog: JOURNALING – Meet BARBARA
Video Script: This is Barbara. She chose to heal after losing her brother to an overdose, then two months later, her sister to an in-home accident. You can imagine Barbara feels beaten down and finds it hard to climb out of her grief, ad find hope to believe...
The Story of the ABJ Butterfly +
There is a story behind this exact butterfly that I'd like to share... then I will also share a similar story from Wayne Dyer, which makes me feel even more certain that I have the right symbol for my nonprofit. In general, butterflies are an international symbol of...
Sharing Resources – What Helps YOU Heal???
SHARING RESOURCES What things helped you in your grief? Who made a difference? Are you willing to share it to help others? Word of mouth and sharing things or organizations we have found helpful is extremely powerful in helping others. Why not do that...
ABJ Video Blog Series : SUPPORT – MEET JEN
Video Script: This is Jen She chose to heal after losing her 3-1/2 month-old son to blunt force trauma by his father. She packed up her house and moved cross country with her 4-year-old daughter and restarted her life, while her ex awaits trial. You can imagine Jen...
Tell Your Heart to Beat Again
Wow - what a line! ... and what a song title! ..."Tell Your Heart To Beat Again!" Haven't you felt like you needed to do that? ...Wish you'd thought of that? ...Wish someone had told you that? I came across this short video and beautiful song... I had a...
Blogs by “Finding Answers In The Heart” Authors
A Year of Inspirational BLOGS... 2015 from the 14 authors of "FAITH - Finding Answers In the Heart - Volume II" The Authors (or see below the blogs) The BLOGS: January, 2015: (New Beginnings) Empowering Women A New Year Living in the Now New Beginnings Come in Many...
There Is No Wrong Way To Grieve!
Are you feeling pressured, judged, or insecure in your grief? Do NOT let others make you feel that! ... There is no wrong way to grieve! Let's be honest -- people DO NOT GET IT... unless they have been through a loss similar to yours and have a similar...
Is Grief Making You Feel Like Scrooge?
Was Christmas PAST awesome? Is grief making Christmas PRESENT sad? What will Christmas FUTURE be like? Yes, pretty common questions for those of us who have lost loved ones. The holidays are often difficult to get through. For me, it's like this: CHRISTMAS...