“I wanted to know my father. And I wanted him to be remembered. I also wanted to change my family—to break our silence, to grieve… I wanted us to live with my father’s memory, and not have it locked away in the garage.

I hope that people come away knowing how important and powerful grief and remembrance is—and that it’s unhealthy to wall off these feelings and forget our loved ones.”
—Tracy Tragos

Grief is an intensely personal and painful process that many people try to avoid. Experts agree that the best way to heal and move forward after loss is to work through grieving process and express feelings openly.

Below are some myths about grief and links to Web sites and organizations that specialize in supporting the grief process.

• All losses are the same
• Grief always declines over time in a steadily decreasing fashion
• When grief is resolved, it never comes up again
• It is better to put painful things out of your mind
• Children need to be protected from grief and death
• You will have no relationship with your loved one after the death
• Once your loved one has died it is better not to focus on him or her, but to put him or her in the past and go on with your life