Having gone through the experience of the poor health leading to the death of two husbands, as well as the deaths of my father, mother, aunts, and uncles as well as many friends, I have much experience in the grieving process, and I have learned to face life with love, optimism, and joy.
I have kept journals and written to express myself most of my life. This led me to a career of teaching writing and writing books. So, after my second husband died, I naturally turned to writing to help deal with my grief. Then I discovered that I could use writing to help friends deal with grief, too. My new book, Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief: A Comprehensive Guide to Reclaiming and Cultivating Joy and Carrying on in the Face of Loss, will provide guidance for navigating the downs and ups of that unfamiliar territory.
I retired on the beautiful island of Maui after a rich and varied career in owning and operating businesses ranging from an ambulance company, to a live theatre, to a school of arts, to an art gallery, to a café and catering company. I also worked as a nurse and in Human Resources and Quality Assurance. I taught writing and composition at the university level for many years being a pioneer in online education.
My passions are ceramics, acting, directing, designing, weaving, quilting, and cooking, especially vegan, and I am a certified vegan Chef. I have been active in The American Association of University Women, the Editorial Board for The Bakersfield Californian, the Ethics Committee of Kern Medical Center, the board of Bakersfield Community Theatre, and the Potter’s Guild of Ventura County.
I spend my time now writing and teaching others to write to deal with all kinds of grieving. And when I am not writing, I am enjoying the beauty of Maui.
My Professional Biography
Emily is a Grief Transformation Expert and holds a Master’s Degree in English with a Concentration in Writing. She has been teaching writing and composition on the college and university level over 30 years. During that time, she published three writing textbooks. with Prentice Hall and Pearson Education.
She participated with the Bereaved Person’s Association in Bakersfield, California, which her husband co-founded. She also assisted her husband Jacques Thiroux, a bio-ethicist, with multiple revisions of his popular text Ethics Theory and Practice published by Prentice Hall and Pearson Education. She presents Writing Through Grief workshops.
Giving Back
I believe in social responsibility in business. A portion of the proceeds for my book and the classes I teach will be donated to non-profit organizations who deal with grieving individuals and related issues.
Organizations I support are:
NāKeiki O Emalia
Emalia’s Children, that provides support to grieving children, teens, and their families to help the heal after the death of a loved one.
They offer:
- An opportunity to be with others suffering a similar loss
- A safe environment to share stories and feelings
- A positive channel for coping with feelings of grief
- An understanding that grief is a natural and normal reaction to death
- An avenue for the healing process
- A path towards acceptance
- Group support coordinated by trained facilitators
All services are free.
Doorway into Light
Through the collective understandings, experiences and expertise of the founders of Doorway Into Light, a new model has emerged, one that leads to a very different way of living and dying and one which is respectful of everyone’s spiritual views. This model has its roots in religious and indigenous traditions. It honors and integrates well with some existing organizations and at the same time brings a powerful new paradigm to the sacred passage of dying and death. In this paradigm, communities take more of a “hands-on” approach; from physical, emotional and spiritual care, to bringing forth new rituals and ceremonies that lend support to the natural grieving process and the journey of the departing soul, thereby enriching family and community life. This model further supports healthy communities in right relationship with the earth, through sustainable, organic and renewable practices. Find Emily : https://lovingandlivingyourwaythroughgrief.com/
