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The gift of last words: Letting go of the questions and grabbing hold of love
I never cease to be wonderstruck when life events have a thread of miraculous woven through them. Two such events occurred at the birth of my two beautiful daughters. Then on a particular April 20, a third miracle occurred when I was blessed with a son. David came into the world with a mop of dark hair, big hands and big feet. Have you ever had a puppy with large paws and knew they would grow up to be a large dog? When I saw the size of David’s hands, I knew he would grow up to be a large man. And when I saw the size of David’s feet, I knew it was going to be hard to find shoes that fit him.
What is a Volunteer Family Guide?
I never imagined I would have my world turned upside down like this. How am I supposed to get through this? No one truly understands what is happening here. I need to talk with someone who actually gets it.
When your life has been turned upside down by a workplace injury, illness, or fatality, it can often feel like no one truly understands where you’re at or what you’re facing.
How Steps for Life defines “Together”
The 2021 version of Steps for Life-Walking for Families of Workplace Tragedy was a resounding success in the face of huge challenges. As we gear up for Steps for Life 2022, we’re looking at all the ways we define “Together” when #WeWalkTogether through Steps for Life.
What will be your legacy?
Alex and Kristopher were tied at the hip as brothers. They had great birthday parties, attended fun wedding dances; they roughhoused and goofed around as brothers do when they are young. Alex wanted to do so much more with Kristopher when they got older. He wanted road trips, beers, nieces and nephews. But, Kristopher died in a workplace accident and that future Alex wanted was lost.
The Breaking Point
Dealing with grief from a loss of a loved one not coming home, a serious injury, or an occupational disease is devastating with many layers of intensity. It’s fair to say a significant loss changes the world around us. Stress, sadness, pain, and feeling isolated can sit heavy on our hearts and spirits. Sometimes it can feel like we are truly at a breaking point.
Celebrating the Invaluable Contributions of our Volunteers and Partners
Threads of Life is very fortunate to have a team of wonderful volunteers who support the delivery of our programs, events, speaker presentations, and help guide the organization into the future. And we have dedicated partners, who offer financial support, and work to...
Compassionate listening: Straight from the Heart
Do you listen with your ears, or your heart? Is it possible to listen with both? The art of listening is not to be confused with hearing. We are always hearing, most of the time subconsciously. Listening is done by choice, but once you have made that choice what comes next?
Miracles rising out of tragedy
The summer of 2013 was exciting and filled with many blessings. My daughter Kaitlyn had just graduated from Teacher’s College at Western University and was about to start her career; Jeremy was entering his fourth year in the Criminology program with plans to go into law enforcement; Karl and I were comfortable in the lifestyle we had created and were anxiously waiting the completion of our newly built home.
Moving through the storm: From surge capacity to self-care
What if going through the motions isn’t an ability—but a survival mechanism rooted deep in our subconscious? Surge capacity is a collection of adaptive systems that allow us to “keep going” for short-term survival in acutely stressful situations.
Team Challenge Winners Rise for Families of Workplace Tragedy
Together, we met our goal!
Our fundraising goal for 2021 was set at $450,000, and together we all watched the Steps for Life fundraising thermometer tick higher and higher. By end of Steps for Life, thanks to fundraisers, donors and sponsors, we had exceeded our goal, and then some! The money raised will ensure that families struggling in the aftermath of work-related fatalities, life-altering injuries and occupational disease will have access to free peer support programs.
Volunteer Profile – Eleanor Westwood
Eleanor Westwood, Threads of Life’s longest-serving board member will retire from the board this summer, after 15 years of service to the organization. Occupational health and safety has been very important to Eleanor, who worked at the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) for more than 25 years.
Spirituality and Getting Unstuck
Join Roy Ellis for our next FamiliesConnect session: Getting Unstuck: How to make Friends with your Grief & Trauma on June 17, 2021 at 6pm EDT (3 pm in BC and 7:30 pm in Newfoundland!) You’ll learn practical steps to help yourself and your loved-ones take small...
