Keeper of the Ashes
If you have ever been entrusted with the ashes (cremated remains) of a loved one, friend, or an acquaintance, you will resonate with this...
top of page
Building Resiliency
A blog for living in grief.
An invitation to join.
Recent Posts
On Becoming Resilient
Karen Amaden
- Feb 7
Enduring Love
Love that lasts Love that continues Enduring love deepens with the passage of time Love that grows Love that is limitless Enduring love...
Karen Amaden
- Jan 30
Reacquainted
Over the past year.... I took a break from writing. I learned some new skills. I read a lot of books. I even took some course work. I...
Karen Amaden
- Dec 20, 2022
From Me to You
Grief is a part of your holiday season. May you find gentleness and calm.
Karen Amaden
- Nov 30, 2022
Holiday Plan
Speaking from experience and research, having a plan for navigating the holidays will be well worth the time spent in preparing your...
Karen Amaden
- Nov 23, 2022
Thanksgiving
As you contemplate Thanksgiving this year, it is my hope that you are able to remember your loved one with fondness. I hope that the...
Karen Amaden
- Aug 31, 2022
Midnight Mayhem
It’s the middle of the night. The house is dark and quiet. It’s happened before. The memories of the death come creeping in. You relive...
Karen Amaden
- Aug 24, 2022
From the Outside Looking In
I want to take it away. The pain, the agony, the terror. I see it staring from behind your eyes; disbelief, horror, sadness- deep, deep...
Karen Amaden
- Aug 17, 2022
Embrace Your Emotional Health
Currently I am reading a book written by Lillian Schlissel, Women’s Diaries of the Wetstward Journey, (1982 Schocken Books Inc.). As I...
Karen Amaden
- Aug 10, 2022
Death and the Hemlock Tree
Living through a death will forever change you. It is bound to happen. No one can go through what you have experienced without the death...
Karen Amaden
- Aug 3, 2022
Over and Over and Over
“Hazel Smyth was waiting for Madeleine to come home. Each footfall, each creek of the floorboards, each turn of the knob was her. Then...
Karen Amaden
- Jul 27, 2022
Grief in the Balance
I was reminded of balance while visiting Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The trail follows Home Creek for about one...
Karen Amaden
- Jul 20, 2022
On the Cliff
I can think of three people in my life that I love even though they no longer live. Death has removed them from this earth. The knowledge...
Karen Amaden
- Jun 1, 2022
Be Right Back
It is time to take my own advice. I've been writing and creating for two years. I need to attend to my own needs. The month of June will...
Karen Amaden
- May 25, 2022
Declaration of Empowerment
Empowerment – the process of becoming stronger and more confident. Empowerment in grief arises when you choose how to live with your...
Karen Amaden
- May 18, 2022
Grieve Enough
I was reading a book the other day written by Rolf Gates, Meditations on Intention and Being (Anchor Books 2015). He was discussing why...
Karen Amaden
- May 11, 2022
COPE
I shared with you a few weeks ago about a virtual retreat. With permission, I am able to invite you to my session on the retreat. How to...
Karen Amaden
- May 4, 2022
Thick Morning Fog
I was jolted awake by the phone on the bed side stand. Four o’clock am. The hospital voice on the other end gave me the details of a...
Karen Amaden
- Apr 20, 2022
Breath of Life
Every living thing needs oxygen in order to live, animals, reptiles, birds and humans. The exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen even...
Karen Amaden
- Apr 13, 2022
Twenty Minutes a Day
If you could devote 20 minutes a day to yourself, would you consider yourself worthy? Of course, you are worthy of taking care of your...
Karen Amaden
- Apr 6, 2022
Cucumber Slices, Prayer and To Do Lists
Everyone could use a little self-care in their life. The picture that comes to my mind when I hear the term self-care is of a woman,...
Karen Amaden
- Mar 30, 2022
Let Me "BE"
If you can get past the notion that there are positive emotions and negative emotions, you will become more resilient in your grief. When...
Karen Amaden
- Mar 16, 2022
Sacred Tears
Who would have thought that those little wet droplets that gather in the corner of your eyes and cascade down your checks could do so...
Karen Amaden
- Mar 9, 2022
Comfort in Love and Grief
The relationship you have with your beloved is very unique. Two separate beings coming together, creating something that no other two...
Karen Amaden
- Mar 2, 2022
A New Resident
“When you lose someone you love, grief will take up residence in your life; and that is okay. It’s there to be felt in all its horrible...
Karen Amaden
- Feb 23, 2022
Invitation to Grief and Grace
When you experience the death of someone you love, you are bombarded with so many emotional, physical and mental manifestations, you...
Karen Amaden
- Feb 9, 2022
Exploring Grief
Exploring Grief Becoming an explorer of our grief instead of a person seeking to end it or fix it takes patience and grace. We must be...
Karen Amaden
- Feb 2, 2022
They Said What!?
“He’s in a better place.”. Over and over, I heard visitors repeat this phrase to the young grieving widow. Each time it was like someone...
Karen Amaden
- Jan 26, 2022
Doing Grief
“Your grief will fade over time.”, “Time heals all wounds.” These phrases insinuate that over time your grief will become non- existent...
Karen Amaden
- Jan 19, 2022
Protecting Our Grief
“Call me if you need anything”. Anyone who has ever experienced the death of a loved one has heard those words. This phrase is used...
Karen Amaden
- Jan 12, 2022
The Wednesday of Grief
Wednesday. The middle of the week, three days before and three days after. When we were children in school, Wednesday became the turning...
Karen Amaden
- Jan 7, 2022
The Memories
At least we have the memories. Memories, those snippets of everyday life that we relive at any moment. Memories, those big events we...
Karen Amaden
- Dec 17, 2021
When Grief Comes to Christmas
Remembering Christmas traditions, passed down through generations, brings a smile to my face. I fondly remember family dinners with...
Karen Amaden
- Dec 10, 2021
Grief, Grinch and the Holidays
Grief Grinch and Holidays The holiday classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, can give us insight into how we, a grieving person, can...
Karen Amaden
- Dec 2, 2021
The Power of Scent
Has this ever happened to you? You are going about your day, doing whatever it is that you do, all of a sudden you get a whiff of a scent...
Karen Amaden
- Nov 24, 2021
Gratitude in Grief
You are living a sorrow that you never knew existed; a pain that can only be understood by experience. The dark side of love. In the...
Karen Amaden
- Nov 17, 2021
Maybe Next Year
One week until Thanksgiving and if you are a grieving person, you may be dreading holiday season. From now until the clock strikes...
Karen Amaden
- Nov 10, 2021
Take the Pain
A rainy Friday afternoon was the perfect backdrop for Netflix and a cup of earl grey tea. My movie of choice, Wind River, was about a...
Karen Amaden
- Oct 27, 2021
Satin Ribbons and Flowers
The oak casket was surrounded by flowers of yellow, gold, red and orange. Enormous copper-colored mums took up floor space and autumn...
Karen Amaden
- Oct 20, 2021
Screams in the Pillow
The photo sat on the bedside table for years. She dusted the frame, fondly remembering the day it was taken. The innocent young girl, so...
Karen Amaden
- Sep 30, 2021
A Call to Remember
As a funeral director I was often asked how I could do my job; being around death and grief and sadness every single day. How did I do...
Karen Amaden
- Sep 22, 2021
Meet Gloria
I arrived at the nursing home; completed the appropriate documents at the nurse’s station. “Have a seat in the foyer and I’ll let the...
Karen Amaden
- Sep 15, 2021
In This Room
The hush filled the room. It wasn’t the normal quiet, void of distracting noises. This was the silence that demanded respect. This was...
Karen Amaden
- Sep 8, 2021
The Will to Grieve
My workout was complete, miles were logged, weight lifted was charted and sweat on my face and arms was being mopped by the white gym...
Karen Amaden
- Sep 1, 2021
The I in Grief
A peak into the Grief In Life workbook: Death has knocked me down and I can’t get up. The funeral is over. I’ve taken my bereavement days...
Karen Amaden
- Aug 25, 2021
Grief and Water
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” In the Bible, the book of Genesis begins with God creating the heavens and the...
Karen Amaden
- Aug 18, 2021
Grounded in Grief
….And the two shall become one……. Whether you have experienced this as a married couple or have experienced this as a soulmate or a...
Karen Amaden
- Aug 11, 2021
Empowered in Grief
When faced with the death of a loved one, the impact on your life is significant. As a funeral director, I often heard people describe it...
Karen Amaden
- Aug 4, 2021
Pure Grief
Saucha, what a funny word. I had never heard that word until I became a student of yoga. In the yoga tradition there are eight limbs of...
Karen Amaden
- Jul 21, 2021
What's the Deal With the Dash
There is a poem that was often read at the funerals I directed. This poem was titled, The Dash. The poem is about the dates that are...
Meet
Karen Amaden
Hello. I am Karen Amaden. My passion in life is to advocate for those who are living life in the midst of grief. I am a certified Compassionate Bereavement Care Provider and a retired funeral director. My mission is to create compassionate communities through education and insight.
"The work of grief is hallowed ground, it is deserving of our pause, our recognition, our hearts pressed together at our hearts."
Dr. Joanne Cacciatore
bottom of page