Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area

08/03/2026

95% of educators say they want to do more to support students who are grieving. According to the New York Life Foundation and American Federation of Teachers' Grief in School Survey, many educators are looking for practical tools and guidance.

Join us August 18 for a free webinar with Dr. David Schonfeld to learn strategies for supporting children who are grieving as the new school year begins. This webinar is free and open to all. Participants can receive 1 free continuing education credit. Register at nacg.org/events.

Please share with anyone in your network who may benefit from this free education opportunity.

07/31/2026

07/28/2026

Meditation is one tool we can use to help navigate grief. There are many different platforms (Insight Timer, Calm, Mindful, the On Being Project, etc.) that offer free meditations and mindfulness exercises specific to challenges like grief, anxiety, stress, and more. Learn more and check out this short meditation on grief and loss from Mindful here:

Our hearts break, but our hearts also heal. The thread that pulls us from heartbreak to healing is love, says Judy Lief in this practice for working with grief.

07/28/2026

Have bottles and cans sitting around? Please consider donating some of your returnables to support Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area--we have accounts at Raider Redemption in Winslow and Damon's in Waterville. Every little bit helps, and thank you for your support!

07/27/2026

Avoidance coping and taking a break are two very different things. The first being a hinderance to healthy grieving and the later being a requisite.

07/22/2026

We have become so uncomfortable with death that we have started changing its name.

"Passed away."
"Lost."
"No longer with us."

I understand why we do it.
Sometimes those words feel gentler.

But death isn't a dirty word.

Dying isn't something to whisper around.

When we soften every word, we sometimes make honest conversations even harder.

Perhaps the greatest kindness we can offer isn't finding gentler words for death... maybe it's creating a world where the truth can be spoken with such compassion that it no longer needs to be softened.

xo
Gabby
www.thehospiceheart.net

07/21/2026

Grief never takes a break, but Holding the Light Podcast is taking a short one this summer to recharge, connect with listeners, and record all new episodes. Thank you to our followers--we just crested 14,500 Downloads! As always, if you'd like to suggest a topic, or are ready to share your story, please contact us. We will be back September 11th to say their names with you. In the meantime, catch up on one of 47 inspiring stories on Holding the Light--available now wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Thanks for Listening. 💙🔅🎙

07/21/2026

Grief specialist Dawn Delahoye is supporting people with terminal illness and their caregivers, promoting intentional self care and accepting help when offered. After caring for her dad during his experience with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), Dawn gained valuable personal perspective that made her under...