There are various kinds of loss and pain. For presenter, Ellen Little, it has been the loss of two husbands, a wedding with 200 people invited called off four days before the wedding, miscarriages, loss of parents, loss of beloved pets, and several unfair professional disappointments.  And then there are all the other “minor” losses along the way such as the “what ifs” and the “should haves." And at the center of all this is the oft-dreaded concept of “change."

Ellen used to think that there are the bad times, and then there are the good times, and then the bad will come again and then the good. A cycle.  But what she discovered is the the bad times are intermingled with the good times, and that is what we call “life."  And learning to “manage” it gives us a much more balanced life than fearing that the bad will happen even in the midst of the good.

The goal of this talk will be to acknowledge the pain that we experience—trying to hide it or avoid it does not serve us well— and to discover some practical ways and actions to bring us, over time, to a place of peace and even joy.

This one-hour keynote talk follows with 30 minutes for discussion and questions.