In this episode, we dive into a heartfelt conversation about life, love, and loss with Impact Maker- Certified Grief Educator, Mary Anne Ruddis. Mary Anne's journey is deeply intertwined with her passion for helping others, particularly families of children facing cancer and those with special needs. As the Executive Director of Elevations: A Children's Therapy Resource Foundation, she works tirelessly to raise funding for therapy services, making a significant impact on families facing unseen challenges. Mary Anne's extensive personal experience with medically fragile children and loss has shaped her perspective and fuels her drive to make a difference. Join us as we explore her remarkable story and delve into the profound belief that we all have a responsibility to the world we live in and that CHOICE is one of the greatest gifts we can embrace.
- Mary Anne shares her personal experience with loss and grief, including the diagnosis and deaths of her daughter, husband, and son from cancer.
- Her personal journey to clarity and embracing life experiences without resistance.
- Mary Anne shares her perspective on grief and the importance of embracing and processing emotions along with recognizing the challenges others may face when trying to support someone who is grieving and the fear of saying the wrong thing.
- Mary Anne highlights the importance of being present and showing up for others during difficult times and encourages understanding and empathy, emphasizing the intention behind someone's words rather than focusing on the specific words used. She also shares how much being able to accept help from others can impact one’s healing journey.
- We discuss the human need for connection and our shared desire to normalize the human experience, including grief, and the societal pressure to suppress emotions.
- Mary Anne speaks about her exploration of philosophical and religious concepts to find answers about suffering and the human condition and her shifts in perspective and understanding of life and death over time. The importance of knowing oneself and accepting life as it is to find happiness embracing the impersonal universe and seeing one's life as part of a greater fabric.
- The power of choice and the ability to shift perspective and focus on the light even in dark times the existential question of why we are here and the search for meaning and purpose.
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