Death, Dying, and Grief - Supporting Children and Teens in Grief with Julie Lockhart

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we talk with Julie Lockhart, a retired academic. During the last years of her career, she led a grief support nonprofit called WinterSpring, where she discovered the beauty and depth of personal stories. There she shared her own experience, which helped grieving people feel less alone.  Julie loves an adventure, especially in wild places. She spent most of her career in academics, publishing extensively in peer-reviewed journals.  From that, she has embraced writing personal essays about her adventures, life experiences, and grief, sharing insights from what she has learned. Her essayshave been published in the Journal of Wild Culture, Minerva Rising, bioStories, and Feels Blind Literary. Julie is a Pushcart Nominee for her essay, “Worthy,” and a three-time runner-up in the Women on Writing Essay contests. In our conversation, she discusses the impact of childhood experiences, the loss of her ex-husband, and a miscarriage, on her writing and work. Julie highlights the importance of telling stories and supporting children and teens in their grief. She also emphasizes the need for adults to understand grief and trauma, navigate family dynamics, and create memorials to remember loved ones. Julie's website: julietales.com (https://julielockhart80.wixsite.com/julietales)WinterSpring: https://thelearningwell.org/winterspring-grief-support-and-education/(Since Julie retired, they merged with a nonprofit healthcare organization called La Clinica and are a major component of that organization’s wellness program.)The Dougy Center: https://www.dougy.org/ This is the leading children’s grieforganization in the country.Companioning Model from Alan Wolfelt: https://www.centerforloss.com/And the poem we shared was from Mary Oliver, titled "Heavy"That time I thought I could not go any closer to grief without dying I went closer, and I did not die. Surely God had his hand in this, as well as friends. Still, I was bent, and my laughter, as the poet said, was nowhere to be found. Then said my friend Daniel, (brave even among lions), “It’s not the weight you carry but how you carry it – books, bricks, grief – it’s all in the way you embrace it, balance it, carry it Heavy by Mary Oliver when you cannot, and would not, put it down.” So I went practicing. Have you noticed? Have you heard the laughter that comes, now and again, out of my startled mouth? How I linger to admire, admire, admire the things of this world that are kind, and maybe also troubled – roses in the wind, the sea geese on the steep waves, a love to which there is no reply?Support the showWe very much want to hear your thoughts. Please join us on Substack for our community chat.This podcast helps anyone dealing with loss. It can guide you with end-of-life planning and death-positive resources. Check out our introductory episode to learn more about Annalouiza, Wakil, and our vision/mission to normalize and destigmatize conversations about death, dying, grief, and loss.You can find us on SubStack, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and BlueSky. You are also invited to subscribe to support us financially. Anyone who supports us at any level will have access to Premium content, special online meet-ups, and one-on-one time with Annalouiza or Wakil.And we would love your feedback and want to hear your stories. You can email us at [email protected] want to be transparent that we use AI tools to help us with titles, show notes, editing, and introductions....