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Notes on Grief
I am Mary Balistreri, a mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend and supporter of people.
I have lost myself and found myself and felt intense emotional pain and digressed and progressed and lived. This blog is about all of that. Wherever you are on your journey of grief, my hope is there will be something here for you.
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Mary Balistreri
Aug 10, 20249 min read
Your Way, My Way, Any Way
I took a breather from grieving and guess what? It's still here. But as I feel lighter, I wonder whether I know how to comfort others.
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Mary Balistreri
Apr 7, 20248 min read
The Greatest Birthday Cake Ever, Easter, and No Pictures
No pix celebrations. Remembrances from times when the pictures exist only in our minds, hearts, and emotions.
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Mary Balistreri
Feb 14, 20246 min read
Success! Wait! Then Where Is My Coat?
I did it! I shredded the last shred of boxed up old paperwork. Dusty, nasty, musty, 20-plus- year-old paperwork fed through my household...
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Mary Balistreri
Feb 2, 202410 min read
The Anniversaries. The Dogs Know.
When it comes to anniversaries and grieving, I was not sure what to expect or how I would feel. I prepared myself mentally for having a...
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Mary Balistreri
Jan 8, 20246 min read
Swedish Death Cleaning, Part III. Remembering Ann
On my sister's first birthday since her death, I find myself smiling more than crying.
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Mary Balistreri
Dec 31, 20235 min read
Accomplishments of A Griever
At the end of each year, I encourage my coaching clients to make a list of everything they accomplished. The act of writing things down...
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mbalistreri2
Dec 18, 20236 min read
Can't Do All the Things? Light A Candle and Sit with Me.
I tend to be an energetic person. I fill my calendar with appointments. I make long to do lists. I wake up early on the weekends and run...
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Mary Balistreri
Dec 3, 20234 min read
Last Words. You Do Not Control Them.
In most movies and stories, when a significant person is dying, they utter something tremendously needed, important, or wise right before...
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Mary Balistreri
Nov 22, 20234 min read
Dashing for Ashes - Grief Blog Is Back
I have always been an energetic person whose list overflowed with to do's and appointments. It was important to me to be the first in...
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Mary Balistreri
Oct 2, 20234 min read
Swedish Death Cleaning, Part II (The Last Grief Blog)
As I continue to wade and write my way through All the Stuff (see part I), my brain swims into the dense ocean of my life. It sticks to...
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Mary Balistreri
Sep 21, 20236 min read
Grief Hurts - Literally
In reflecting on the seven months since my sister, Ann, died, I wondered about the effect grief has on the body. Where do we feel it when...
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Mary Balistreri
Sep 14, 202315 min read
When Your Child Has A Disability
Writing these Grief Notes and sharing them with whoever might read them proves to be the best medicine possible for me. It allows me a...
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Mary Balistreri
Sep 7, 20235 min read
All the Guilts: Great & Small (or, Was I A Good Sister? Am I A Good Daughter?)
I am flying. I am free. I feel great relief and boundless freedom. I am free. It's a taboo in our culture to admit the happiness one can...
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Mary Balistreri
Aug 31, 202310 min read
All the Stuff (Swedish Death Cleaning, Part I)
If you have not heard of Swedish Death Cleaning, it's a book (The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson) and a TV...
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Mary Balistreri
Aug 24, 202310 min read
All the Baby Stuff
A baby shower can be loaded with emotional pain for a woman who cannot seem to conceive a baby, or who lost a child, or who had a...
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Mary Balistreri
Aug 18, 20237 min read
All the Spooky Stuff
My Sicilian grandmother, Nancy, told me once that my sister Ann was born with the sign of the witch - a streak of white in her hair. I...
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Mary Balistreri
Aug 10, 20236 min read
Losing Colleagues & Your Identity
In the Fall of 1999, my husband suffered a medical event that left him temporarily disabled. He walked with a cane, he could not do his...
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Mary Balistreri
Aug 3, 20234 min read
Take A Happiness Break
Listen to the wind. Feel the moisture in the early morning air. Hear the silence. Breathe it in and let it go. Let it all go. My sister...
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Mary Balistreri
Jul 27, 20237 min read
My Sammi - My Heart Dog
I first heard the term "heart dog" after my beautiful girl Sammi died. A dear friend, hearing my intense heartbreak, said, "Oh, I see....
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Mary Balistreri
Jul 20, 20238 min read
Care Giving & Care Receiving
What would you do for your sister? These words echo in my mind lately as we scramble to tie up the loose ends of Ann's life. We includes...
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