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He Made People Happy: Perspective on a grief journey of 29 years
Twenty-nine years ago on July 17, 1992 at the age of 24, our son Donny (only mom and dad could call him “Donny” and to everyone else it was “Don”), was snatched from our lives in an instant. He was employed for five years in a wire rope facility and was operating a high speed winding machine, winding cable from a large spool onto a small one when the incident occurred.
Maureen Shaw: Stepping forward for health and safety
In the early stages of Maureen Shaw’s life, she would hear the screeching sirens from the local forestry mill. Everyone would wait with quiet breath for word on who was injured or who had died.
FamiliesConnect: Finding Meaning and Purpose in the Art of Photography
Photos provide us with an opportunity to view our present-day lives in a whole new light. Photography can be harnessed as a meditative and mindfulness tool allowing the viewer to look through a new lens and open you up to positive perspectives and healing.
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.
