Susan Jennifer Polese

My mother passed away on a warm evening late last May. She left this earth in the manner of her choice; at home, surrounded by her loving family. My beautiful mom – my father’s wife of sixty-two years and my daughter’s grandma - was gone.

I was clearly uncomfortable and clearly trying to hide it. As a newly certified life coach working with a married couple in crisis I sat with them in my office resisting the urge to wring my hands. I periodically nodded with empathy, peppering my interaction with encouragers. Was the temperature in the room rising? Or was it just me?