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More than memory: embracing connection beyond death
This post is the essence of a presentation I provided for the lovely people at the St. Albert Bereavement Fellowship, on Tuesday 8th September, 2026. Image: Andrea C Taylor - Unsplash Continuing Bonds A continuing bond is defined as the presence of an ongoing inner relationship with the deceased person by the bereaved individual. Stroebe & Schut, 2005 The Continuing Bonds theory of grief proposes that a healthy, adaptive response to the loss of a loved one does not require “l
libbykostromin
2 days ago6 min read
Hope, Faith and Basic Trust -- Part 3.
Confession: I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this multi-part blogpost - this third part has been a long time coming! The original intention was to illuminate what I see as the differences, and relationships, between hope (Part 1), faith (Part 2), and what the spiritual teacher Almaas refers to as "basic trust" (this final Part). In my mind these states form a kind of layer-cake, where hope (in a desired future) is highest, airiest and most untethered, faith (i
libbykostromin
Jul 156 min read
Hope, Faith and Basic Trust -- Part 2.
As Life would have it, since posting last time I stumbled upon Stephen Jenkinson’s writings about hope, in his wonderful book, Die Wise. With characteristic and refreshing clarity, he writes: Hope is a mortgage. It is not like a mortgage. It is a mortgage. Hope is a mortgaging of the present, for the sake of some possible future that might come to pass and just as likely might not. (p.132) Photo: David Zawita So how is faith different from hope? The etymological foundati
libbykostromin
Aug 2, 20253 min read