Mary E. Jamerino, LMSW, ACSW is a social worker and the Director of Bereavement Services of A.J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Home. Her specialty is the human emotion of grief, it has been her passion for some thirty years. Mary helped us understand the reason why we as humans grieve. Mary points out that quite often people need to know they can grieve at their own pace, there is no specific timetable. The grief journey is an opportunity to integrate the grieving process into our lives.

We discussed how difficult it is for parents who have lost a child. Couples go through different emotions on the grief journey. Men and women grieve very differently . She explained it is often helpful for each person to learn to express what they are feeling and communicate their memories with each other.

“We as humans grieve because we can, it’s just part of being human. The more we love, the greater the grief,” said Jamerino. We are sure Mary will inspire us and add a great deal to our series “The Embrace of Dying: How We Deal with the End of Life.”