When an adult son dies, it is usually expected that the other siblings take on heavy duties like identifying a body, planning funerals, or even getting the terrible news first and being responsible for breaking it to the parents. This is done to alleviate the monumental pain of losing a child, but only few consider the extreme pain a sibling endures.

In this episode, I’m joined by Cultural Researcher, Author, and brilliant Storyteller Annie Sklaver Orenstein. After Annie’s brother was killed in Afghanistan, she went to every bookstore looking for something that could help her deal with her pain, often overshadowed by her parents’ pain. Not finding a single piece of literature on sibling pain was her key motivation to pen “Always a Sibling: The Forgotten Mourner’s Guide to Grief,” a book she wished she had 15 years ago.

Throughout this episode, you’ll hear Annie’s unique perspective on grieving a sibling, why it often goes unacknowledged, what coping mechanisms she developed, and the thought process that led her to write a book. You’ll also hear Annie’s thoughts on the therapeutic value of putting feelings and emotions on paper, acknowledging and accepting grief’s diversity, rejecting the idea of right and wrong forms of grieving, and so much more.

Tune in to episode 250 of Grief and Happiness to learn more about the thoughtful and practical resource Annie Sklaver Orenstein created for forgotten grievers.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Annie talks about what most sibling grievers have to deal with during their loss (2:30)
• What readers can find in “Always A Sibling” (8:20)
• Why write a book about it? Annie talks about how writing about her grief helped her get through it (14:30)
• Is there a right or wrong way to grieve? (20:30)
• “It’s just not helpful for me.”. Annie shares a valuable lesson she got from an honest answer (26:20)

Connect with Annie Sklaver Orenstein:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Book: Annie Sklaver Orenstein – Always a Sibling: The Forgotten Mourner’s Guide to Grief

Let’s Connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• The Grief and Happiness Alliance
• Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt – Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief

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Emily Thiroux Threatt Podcast Host, Facilitator, Author

Having gone through the experience of the deaths of so many loved ones, I have learned to face life with love, optimism, and joy.

I have kept journals and written to express myself most of my life which led me to a career of teaching writing and writing books. I naturally turned to writing to help deal with my grief, then I discovered I could use writing to help friends deal with grief, too.

In contemplating how I could best help the grieving people I was working with, my Ignite moment came when realized the importance of helping people understand the importance of happiness and how they could grieve and be happy at the same time.

To share my message, I host the Grief and Happiness podcast, I wrote the book Loving and Living Your Way Though Grief, I facilitate weekly meetings of the Grief and Happiness Alliance, I founded the Grief and Happiness nonprofit foundation, I publish a weekly newsletter and blog, and my new book, The Grief and Happiness Handbook is coming out soon.