Welcome!

Dear Friend,

Worry.  We just can’t stop ourselves from doing it.  Will my kid get chosen for the team?  Will I get the promotion I applied for?  Will gas prices go up?   Will the terrorists strike again?  All of us worry. 

You know where most of your worries come from, but others are just plain puzzling.  It’s easier to handle worry if you can spot the cause and take action.  Smiling Through Your Tears focuses on the worries associated with anticipatory grief, a feeling of loss before a death or dreaded event occurs.  

This 190-page self-help book is packed with information.  You’ll learn:

·        the 20 symptoms of early grief

·        about the 8 factors that make early grief unique

·        how to counter the early grief of terrorism

·        how to add to your coping skills

·        114 Healing Steps you can take to ease your worries

Smiling Through Your Tears is user-friendly.  Each chapter begins with a quote to help you focus your thoughts.  There are topical headings to guide you.  Healing Steps are printed in bold so you can find them easily. 

Here are a few of the comments I’ve received. 

-  Everybody needs this book.

-  I think Smiling Through Your Tears should be in every public library.

-  I wish I had this book when I was taking care of my father.

-  It helped me to keep fear at bay.

-  Now I realize the hospice staff has to be more aware of anticipatory 

grief when talking with family members.

-  I knew I had a constant feeling of anxiety, but I didn’t know what it was until I read Smiling Through Your Tears.

-  What a needed book!

-  It’s my lifeline.  I read it every day.

To order your personal copy click on www.amazon.com and type Harriet Hodgson.

Ezine Articles

Free Grief Articles by Harriet Hodgson, BS, MA

Member, Association for Death Education and Counseling

These articles are on www.ezinearticles.com, an authors’ Web site.  To read them log onto the site, click on Expert Authors, the letter H, and Harriet Hodgson.  You may publish the articles for free as long as you include the author bio.  Look for these titles:

• Loss and Grief – When Does the Crying Stop?
• Responding to Grief – How Do You Lose an Egg?
• Honor Your Loved One’s Memory With a Favorite Foods Dinner
• Regular Exercise May Help You Cope With Grief
• Grief Recovery – A Process That Demands New Ways of Thinking
• Recovering From my Daughter’s Sudden and Tragic Death
• Time is Different When You’re Grieving
• Grieving and Gratefulness for a Writing Career
• Grief and the Miracles of Kindness
• Teen Grief – A Time for Patience
• Why I am Writing About my Grief
• The Shock of Sudden Death and Probate
• What Can Kids Hold Onto After a Parent has Died?
• Setting New Goals After a Loved One Has Died
• Delivering Food to a Family After the Death of a Loved One
• Finding Hope After the Death of a Child
• The Sudden Death of a Child – A Mother’s Tool Kit
• Shared Anticipatory Grief: How One Club Faced it and Members Coped Together
• Grief: Remember Your Loved One With a Memory Cook Book
• The Anticipatory Grief of Dementia
• Helping a Friend Who is Coping With Anticipatory Grief
• Anticipatory Grief and Holidays: 12 Survival Tips
• Anticipatory Grief Work: What is it and How do You do It?
• Anticipatory Grief Symptoms: What’s the Big Deal?
• Hurricane Victims Grief: How Can You Help?
• Why Don’t We Talk About Anticipatory Grief?

I write for an authors’ Web site, www.ezinearticles.com.  My articles are about a wide variety of health topics:  healthy recipes, kids’ exercise, regular physical activity, stress, Alzheimer’s disease, caregiving, grief, volunteering, and more.  Some articles have been translated into French, German, Norwegian, Japanese and Arabic. 

Ezinearticles.com is a free publication service.  I write the articles for free and you may publish them for free.  Publicity is my “pay” so please follow the publication guidelines and include the author credit at the end of each article. 

Radio Interview!

Want to hear what anticipatory grief is really like?  Listen to my interview with Jacqueline Marcell, hostess of “Coping With Caregiving,” a monthly, Internet-only program broadcast worldwide.  To hear the program click here.

Jacqueline is the author of Elder Rage, on the web at www.elderrage.com

I know you’ll enjoy the interview and benefit from Smiling Through Your Tears, a source of support you can turn to when you need it. 

13 Symptoms of Anticipatory Grief

Do you think you’re going through anticipatory grief now?  You may be if you’ve come to my Website.  Here are 13 symptoms from Smiling Through Your Tears.  As you read the list mentally check off the symptoms you’ve been experiencing. 

·        Denial

·        Emotional numbness

·        Mood swings

·        A choked feeling in your throat

·       Sleep problems

·        Forgetfulness

·        Hyper behavior

·        Lack of concentration

·        Changes in your health

·        Anger

·        Depression

·        Vulnerability

·        Constant anxiety and dread

These symptoms and others are detailed in Smiling Through Your Tears, available on www.amazon.com.  Get a copy for yourself.  Give a copy to a friend.