A Letter from Zanya

Grief Support Facilitator and Creator of "Finding Hope in Grief"

Dear Reader,

I created the Grief Support Kit  as a gift instead of flowers,to help the bereaved move through  the various stages of grief.Flowers are beautiful ,but they don't last. The contents of the Grief Support Kit offer tools for healing.

Walking through many personal losses, my father, first husband, brother and many friends, gave me the insight about overcoming and healing losses and fears. After attending many classes on death and dying, I set up a hospice in Lancaster California. Facilitating grief support groups, assisting people who are dying and grieving, training volunteers, and community outreach to educate the general public about hospice benefits, I set out to create the Grief Support Kit.

While walking in the mountains of California, I came across a large tree branch that had been struck by lightning. It was blackened and split in two. It reminded me how I felt after my losses.. Yet, from the charred branch, there were new leaves. The idea of a book of photos, depicting how nature heals from it's wounds came to me. The photos represent the stages of grief, from shock to recovery. The idea of a DVD with these photos, accompanied by music to help with healing came next.

Some people like to just close their eyes and relax with soothing music. As a result, the music CD came into being. A personal writing journal has assisted me at times to write down my feelings about grief.