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mission From out of the ashes comes the phoenix. From death emerges life, and so on in the eternal cycle. This site is dedicated to the belief that our personal grief can lead to our personal growth and a widening of awareness and caring for all of those around us who suffer loss. The process of bereavement leads us on a path to greater understanding and acceptance of the cycle of life and death. From this understanding and greater caring the bereaved are able to bring a new perspective into their lives and a new gift into their worlds. Through this process they renew themselves and their communities, while preserving the meaning of the life of the person they have lost. Examples of renewal can be seen in the work of Nancy Brinker who started the Susan E. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation which sponsors the Race for the Cure, and in the work of Katie Couric who is courageously raising the country's awareness about colon cancer prevention. Many others have sought to raise people's consciousness about the illnesses and crimes which brought their loved one's life to a premature end. Still others seek to carry on the legacy of the life work of those they have loved. In carrying out this work, the bereaved bring a gift to the community, a gift which can lead to the renewal of the community. Many other bereaved people have brought gifts to their communities, be it through changing their own lives, helping their families, or reaching out to their local communities. They may start foundations, write about their experiences, create memorials, or make new contributions to their spiritual communities. Such transformation and renewal is possible for all of us who have suffered the loss of a family member or friend, or who have suffered loss through illness or other difficult circumstances. Renewal is a stage in the path of healing, as well as the beginning of creating a new life, a life that integrates the experience of love and loss, life and death. Grief and Renewal. com is dedicated to providing ideas and support for those of us in the process of renewing our lives. It is dedicated to those who may be in the process of creating something new that will help to reduce the suffering of others. This new creation may be for themselves, their immediate family, local community, or directed towards a larger cause. To this end Grief and Renewal.com will provide links to sites which may foster the efforts of the bereaved to give their loss meaning by making a contribution or gift of their experience. The site will provide information about grief and grieving and links to the other excellent websites which provide information about bereavement. We will provide stories by and about others who are working towards renewal, and a mail list in which discussions about efforts can occur. We will provide book reviews and resource information. Grief and Renewal.Com has a shopping site with items that may support personal and community renewal. The revenue derived from the site and from our affiliations with other sites such as Amazon.Com will be used to support the costs of running Grief and Renewal.com. May this site inspire and support you on your journey of renewal. Laura Slap-Shelton, Psy.D. biography Laura Slap-Shelton, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist who graduated fromHahnemann University Medical School's graduate program in psychology in 1988. She has a specialty in clinical neuropsychology. Dr. Slap-Shelton has written on a wide variety of topics including child psychotherapy, the intersection of psychoanalytic theory and neuroscience, and grief. She has published a children's book on stress and relaxation, and is currently working on a children's book about grief, a grief journal and a book on young widows. Dr. Slap-Shelton's interest in grief was stimulated by the tragic loss of her husband when she was 35 years old and the parent of her 13-month-old daughter. Her grief journey opened new perspectives on life and led to an interest in other people's grief experiences. Describing grief as a "terrible gift" she became especially interested in how people renew themselves and their lives following devastating loss. She noted that out of the process of renewal often came the ability to find and share new found wisdom, compassion and insight as a significant part of the recovery process. Dr. Slap-Shelton's and her daughter's journey has taken them from Philadelphia, PA. to Kennebunk, Maine where they are beginning their adventure in their new blended family. Dr. Slap-Shelton has a psychology practice in Biddeford, Maine. Her experience of rebuilding her life has inspired her to launch Grief and Renewal. com, a web site dedicated to supporting others who are transforming their grief into a meaningful legacy for themselves, their families and their communities.
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