My late husband Roy would have been 82 on June 3, 2023. The creation of this  website was inspired by the journey of grief I undertook following his sudden death of a heart attack on July 10, 2011.  As I approach the twelfth anniversary of his death, I am reminded of the many painful yet educational lessons I have learned since that day. I have written about many of those lessons in this website.

I am grateful that the Shalom Garden for Peace, which was dedicated in 2013 to Roy’s memory, is still flourishing.  It is located at La Casa de Maria Retreat Center in Montecito, CA.  Most of the grounds, gardens and buildings at La Casa de Maria were destroyed during a devastating mudslide that hit Montecito in the early morning hours on January 9, 2018.  Miraculously, the Shalom Garden was spared.  I believe its resilience is reflective of one of the critical lessons I learned on my journey of loss. In that loss is an integral  part of life, one needs to become increasingly resilient with each passing day following loss.  Resiliency allows us to not only survive loss, but to also thrive in the new landscape of our ever transforming lives. 

Resilience reflects the capacity to withstand and recover from difficulties.  Through resilience we are able to adapt and adjust to the multitude of changes and challenges that accompany loss.

As I continue to grow and develop, I recognize a desire to pursue new projects. There are two projects currently on  the horizon.  One is my new website www.kathleenabarry.com. In this website, I will be writing about topics that I researched for my doctorate. The second project is a children’s book that is forthcoming this summer.  It is a book on loss and grief for children who have lost a parent.  Its title is “Are There Hot Dogs in Heaven?”    

Thank you to all my readers for your support and encouragement as I developed www.whispersofwisdom.com. Not to worry, I will continue to post to this website.  

And, I look forward to you following my new website kathleenabarry.com.

Namaste,

Kathleen