Ep. 140 Reflections on Grief and Loss + Life Update (It's a Solo Episode!)
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Happy #SeekTheJoy Thursday!
It’s safe to say it’s been a rough couple of weeks. On August 1st my Grandma Pearl suddenly and very unexpectedly passed away. She was this podcast’s biggest fan, and mine.
When I sat down with Christa Couture and Cat Peters back in June, I had no idea that I would be embarking on another grief journey so soon after losing my Grandpa Milton in October 2020.
In this episode I share my thoughts and reflections on grief, why remaining present has not only been challenging but also incredibly transformative and crucial, and what I’ve learned from my experience with grief and loss so far.
Remaining present with grief has allowed me to learn so much about myself, more than I ever anticipated. Loss has shown me just how capable I am of loving others, but also loving myself.
I would love to share with you a little bit more about my Grandma Pearl Kaufman.
She was an incredibly talented and prolific pianist She was Igor Stravinsky’s pianist and had an illustrious recording career in Hollywood as a pianist in high demand by many classic film composers. She played in over 260 film scores including those by Maurice Jarre, Henry Mancini, John Williams, Franz Waxman, Elmer Bernstein, Bernard Herrmann and many more. These titles include "Dr. Zhivago," "The Great Race," "Summer of '42,", "Animal House," and “Five Easy Pieces” where she served as Musical Director and not only played all the piano in that film, but she is also notorious for her role as musical trainer to actor Jack Nicholson.
She graduated from USC with a Bachelor of Music, Magna Cum Laude, and with her Master of Music, Summa Cum Laude and Phi Betta Kappa. Her educational accomplishments is just one of the many reasons I’m proud to be a USC Trojan. She so was so proud that two of her five grandchildren wen to USC too.
Grief transforms us. There’s no way around it, but i’ve found that if you allow yourself to sit with your emotions, to allow yourself to be present, there’s greater appreciation and gratitude.
I would love it if you checked out my Grandma Pearl’s incredible talent and music on Spotify here and Apple Podcasts here. You can also check out a small highlight reel of her show here and make sure to listen to Bumble Boogie and Rhapsody in Blue, those are my two favorite tracks (with Malaguena and Lara’s Theme in a close second!)
As always thank you for tuning in to Seek The Joy Podcast and I can’t wait to hear what you think about today’s episode. Make sure to join the conversation on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!
Grandma, thank you for always supporting me, for being my biggest cheerleader and fan, for always tuning into this podcast, and for sharing your incredible talent and love with the world! I love you forever.
“In this moment of grief and loss for me, I have found that if I can continue to allow myself to experience these emotions in this present moment, to see myself in this way, it‘s just opening me up to so much more.”
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BETTERHELP: Today’s episode is sponsored by Betterhelp. We’re going through challenging times, and we know you’re feeling it too! Now more than ever it’s important we have reliable resources we can turn to. That’s where Betterhelp comes in.
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“LESSSONS IN” SERIES: In this new series, we're sharing our reflections on life’s biggest lessons and the joys we find through these experiences - all to create greater connection and community. Every episode features a conversation that will inspire, motivate, and get you thinking- and we can't wait to grow with you. Ready to join us and share a lesson that impacted your life? Fill out our interest form here.
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