When Grief Pushes, Life Pulls
When someone we love dies, we don’t choose to move on—life nudges us forward. Gently. Quietly. Sometimes stubbornly.
In this episode, we explore how the light returns after the darkness, one moment at a time.
✨ Featuring moving poetry by Jovan Jovanovich Zmaj and Henry Van Dyke
🎙️ Real talk. Real healing. Real hope.
📌 Podcast Summary
In this episode of Journey from Grief to Healing, Ray reflects on how grieving reshapes our understanding of loss, compassion, and what it means to live fully again. Through personal stories, metaphors, and poetry by Tagore and Mary Oliver, Ray guides listeners from the darkness of grief toward the light of renewal. If you’ve ever felt stuck behind the bars of sorrow, this episode offers a gentle nudge to help you open the door to hope, joy, and the wonders waiting beyond.
5 Salient Points
H
Agatha Fry, she made a pie
And Christopher John helped bake it
Christopher John, he mowed the lawn
And Agatha Fry helped rake it
Now, Zachary Zugg took out the rug
And Jennifer Joy helped shake it
Then Jennifer Joy, she made a toy
And Zachary Zugg helped break it
And some kind of help is the kind of help
That helping’s all about
And some kind of help is the kind of help
We all can do without
In this episode, Ray shares a powerful message for anyone standing at the edge of change: it’s okay to be afraid. It’s normal to want to stay where it’s familiar — even if it hurts. But healing begins when we take that first step into the unknown.
With personal reflections, poetic insights, and a story that feels like your own, this episode reminds us that the land beyond is closer than we think.
Grief can feel like it robs us of our strength, leaving us lost and uncertain. But deep within, resilience waits to be rediscovered. In this episode of Journey from Grief to Healing, Dr. Ray Calabrese explores how life’s challenges—whether childhood falls, heartbreak, or profound loss—shape our ability to rise again. Drawing on poetry, personal reflections, and the wisdom of resilience, this episode reminds us that healing is possible. Your journey isn’t over, and your best days are still ahead. Tune in and take the next step toward renewal, hope, and peace.
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Ars Poetica
Paul Verlaine
Come, let’s restore form to our verses!
Of senseless lines we’ve had enough,
Of lines disorderly and rough!
Law-bound the poet’s universe is.
Let music in our verse be present,
The crystal clarity of springs
And that first freshness thunder brings,
The fragrance that makes woodlands pleasant!
And let our verse fuse well together
Thought, image and sonority.
A glass of old wine they must be –
And not a frothy mug of blether.
Enough of idle words and chatter!
Let’s fall in love with order due,
Clear images and feelings true
And strive to grasp the points that matter!
In simple words let our recital
Be of this complex age we live in,
In wise words warmth and guidance giving!
Verse – to be good – must first be vital!
In Season 2, Episode 14 of Journey from Grief to Healing, Dr. Ray Calabrese explores perseverance as our secret weapon in grief. Each triumph over adversity strengthens us, proving that we are more resilient than we realize. Drawing from the wisdom of Elizabeth Edwards, Pablo Neruda, Anne Sexton, and contemporary poet Quiet Wolf, this episode reflects on the transformative power of resilience in the face of loss.
Grief is a journey through darkness, much like Neruda’s metaphorical lily blooming against all odds. It is in choosing to continue, even in the smallest acts—getting out of bed, cooking a meal, or facing another day—that we reclaim our lives. Sexton’s poem Courage reminds us that resilience is found in everyday moments, proving that even in sorrow, we have the strength to move forward.
Join Dr. Calabrese in this inspiring exploration of perseverance, healing, and the courage to keep living. The victory is already yours—just keep going.
want to let go –
so I don’t give a damn about fine writing,
I’m rolling my sleeves up.
The dough’s rising…
Oh what a shame
I can’t bake cathedrals…
that sublimity of style
I’ve always yearned for…
Child of our time –
haven’t you found the right shell for your soul?
Before I die I shall
bake a cathedral.
