Mary's Place, A Center for Grieving Children and Families

03/20/2026

03/12/2026

MARCH BOOK SPOTLIGHT 📚❤️: "A Parent's Guide to MANAGING CHILDHOOD GRIEF" by Katie Lear, LCMHC, RPT, RDT

This book is a empathetic and practical resource that helps parents, caregivers, and educators support children through the grieving process. The book explains how children experience loss differently from adults and offers guidance on talking about death in age-appropriate ways while creating emotional safety and connection. It features 100 creative, hands-on activities such as memory projects, expressive art exercises, and interactive games and provides meaningful tools to help children process complex emotions like sadness, anger, and confusion, whether at home or in school.

If you are interested in borrowing this book or others like it from Mary's Place, please call 860-688-9621 or email info@marysplacect.org to schedule an appointment to pick it up.

03/09/2026

Grief camps provide children with a supportive space to connect with peers who have experienced loss, while enjoying fun and meaningful activities that help them express their feelings, heal, and grow.

Check out these great camp opportunities happening this summer.

03/06/2026

We are beyond grateful for the incredible support shown for our Have a Heart Campaign! 🩷

To our amazing local businesses: Geissler's Supermarkets, Fitzgerald's Foods, Windsor Federal Bank, Beer Garden @ Barts, Jordan Florist, The Blue Dragonfly, Moneta Moments and The Lil' Plant Shop, and the wonderful patrons who donated in support. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Your generosity and community spirit truly made this campaign special.

03/02/2026

❤

how could they not be proud of you.

from my book: Find Me There 🩷



*for those confused about my wording, I often write about our loved ones returning to us in our final time, meeting in special places once everyone is freed from their bodies, and also waiting to meet each other in dreams. In this case, it is written as I am waiting for my mother to come to me in my final moment and us go home together. Friendly reminder to not critique unless requested*

02/14/2026

If you’re missing someone today, please know you’re not alone. We invite you to share their name in the comments so we can remember and honor them alongside you.

Throughout February, you can also honor your loved one by writing their name on one of our pink hearts as part of our Have a Heart campaign. When you’re out and about in Windsor and the surrounding areas, look for our pink hearts at participating locations, write a name in memory or honor of someone special, and consider making a donation. Every visit, every heart, and every dollar makes a difference in supporting our grief center and the children and families we serve.

A heartfelt thank you to the businesses that make this campaign possible: Windsor Federal Bank, (Broad Street, Wilson, and Poquonock Ave. locations) Geissler’s Supermarkets, Jordan Florist, Beer Garden at Bart’s, The Blue Dragonfly, Moneta Moments Bakery, and The Lil’ Plant Shop. We are so grateful for your support.

02/09/2026

We offer books for a wide range of loss experiences, including sudden death, because grief doesn’t look the same for everyone.

FEBRUARY BOOK SPOTLIGHT 📚❤️: "My Uncle Keith Died" by Carol Ann Loehr
This compassionate children’s book that helps young readers understand the death of a loved one to su***de. Told from a child’s perspective, the story acknowledges big feelings like sadness, confusion, anger, and love, while reassuring children that they are not to blame. The book offers honest, age-appropriate language and emphasizes remembrance, connection, and the importance of talking about grief in safe and caring ways.

If you are interested in borrowing this book or others like it from Mary's Place, please call 860-688-9621 or email info@marysplacect.org to schedule an appointment to pick it up.

01/28/2026

In a recent group the kids participated in a gentle and meaningful project called Sadness Bowls.

After reading The Blue Bunny, there was time to talk about moments when we feel sad, what that sadness feels like, and ways to hold it with care. They each selected a small clay bowl to become their sadness bowl: a place to hold sadness, and maybe even a place to leave it for a while.

They decorated their bowls and, if they chose, added small pieces of paper with sad thoughts or feelings inside. The process made space for creativity, reflection, conversation, and connection. Each bowl as unique as the child who made it.

The photos here capture both the bowls and the making of them. Small hands creating something meaningful, and big feelings being honored. 💙

01/23/2026

You don't have to carry this alone. We are here.

01/16/2026

Join us for our Have a Heart campaign this February, where local businesses and community members can come together to support our community!

Help us make this fundraiser a success by encouraging your favorite local businesses to join, and sharing this post with friends and family!

❤️ Let's show some love and have a heart for those who need it most! ❤️

01/13/2026

Grief can feel so heavy but you don’t have to carry it alone. Here’s a hug to remind you that we’re holding you in our hearts. 💛

01/08/2026

JANUARY BOOK SPOTLIGHT 📚❤️: Healing After Loss: Daily Mediations for Working Through Grief by Martha W. Hickman

After the initial support and planning following a loss, we are left to navigate a new version of life where someone important is missing. Grief can come in waves for days, months, or years, and while it may be tempting to push it aside, healing requires the courage to face the loss with compassion.

Through gentle reflection, this book invites readers to honor the love shared, find comfort in memories, and move forward with hope. Its short, poignant meditations can be read in any order and offer strength, inspiration, and comfort for as long as they are needed.

To borrow this book or any book from our lending library email info@marysplacect.org or call the center at 860-688-9621 to make an appointment to pick it up.