Resources

Burke Florist at University Mall
Fairfax, VA · In University Mall
(703) 352-3633
burkeflorist.com
Excellent local floral designer – for birthdays, weddings & funerals. Deliveries done swiftly.

Flowers ‘n’ Ferns
9562 Old Keene Mill Rd · (In Burke Town Plaza)
(703) 455-3100
flowersnferns.com
Excellent local floral and plant shop. Weddings, Funerals and Birthdays are specialties.

Karin’s Florist
527 Maple Ave E, Vienna, VA 22180
(703) 281-4141
karinsflorist.com
Karin’s Florist was established on October 26, 1956, at 7 Corners Shopping Center, by Bill Dukas and his father-in-law, George Raptis with one goal in mind, to create flowers worth remembering. The flower shop was named after Bill’s first born child and George’s first grandchild. Karin’s Florist opened with only 4 employees, George & Mary Raptis, Bill Dukas and 1 driver. Today, Karin’s Florist with it’s talented employees, is nationally recognized as being the “Best Florist in America.” The physical size of the store has more than doubled, but most importantly, outstanding customer service and delivering flowers worth remembering are still our top priorities.

Purple Onion Catering Co. [Award winning!]
416 Maple Ave. W, Vienna, VA 22180
(703) 631-0050
purpleonioncatering.com
Under the leadership of founder and owner Margot Jones, Purple Onion Catering Co. launched into the catering world in 1990 with one simple goal: provide exceptional food and service to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. “Understanding your style and taste is our business.” Excellent food, excellent customer service, creative presentations!

Unique Bakery [Award winning!]
9557 Braddock Rd, Fairfax, VA 22032
(703) 426-7202
facebook.com/UniqueBakery/
Award winning bakery serving Virginia, Maryland and DC. Outstanding selection of cakes & designs as well as other bakery products. Excellent taste, design & deliveries! Come on in and ask for David!

Victoria’s Cakery
10430 Main St, Fairfax, VA 22030
(703) 273-0800
victoriascakery.com
“What’s more alluring than the smell of freshly baked goods? These intoxicating scents provide respite from the hustle and bustle of urban life and offer a moment of sweet reprieve. Victoria’s Cakery is just the right place where you can find this freshly baked love. We are a second-generation family-owned and operated bakery run by Michael Hensley since 1984. Michael’s mom started the business to bring homemade cakes and other goodies to the public. Since its inception, Victoria’s Cakery has been cherished for our classic American baked cakes, cookies, unique decor, and warm, inviting atmosphere. We continue to use nothing but the best ingredients to provide you with high-quality bakery products.”

Lisa Bushman, guitar and violin; Gospel, Bluegrass, Country & Folk
yertle@cox.net
571-201-4711
Lisa is a highly talented, multi-faceted musician who can arrange and perform a variety of genres & styles for special events, especially weddings, funerals, family gatherings and birthdays/anniversaries.

Gary Aspesi
Clifton/Fairfax Station/Fairfax/Burke/Vienna/Oakton areas
garyaspesi7@gmail.com

Cognac Jazz Band
cognacjazz.com

Best Photographers in Fairfax, VA
Yelp

Gary Aspesi, DJ events, lighting and photography
Clifton/Fairfax Station/Fairfax/Burke/Vienna/Oakton areas
(571) 216-7913

Capital Caring
3180 Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 538-2066
capitalcaring.org
Hospice care, Advanced illness care, Primary Care at home, Grief Support, Veterans Care & Support Services, Children’s Hospice & Palliative Care, Stay-at-Home Services, Advanced Cardiac Care

Vitas Healthcare, Virginia & Washington, DC
844.480.0848
vitas.com
Mary Ellen Sherburne, Grief Support Counselor
Your VITAS hospice team members visit you wherever you call home in Washington D.C. and in Prince William and Fairfax counties in Northern Virginia. VITAS has offices in Washington D.C., Vienna and Manassas, and our interdisciplinary hospice teams bring care to wherever you need.

Bradshaw On: The Family, John Bradshaw
c. 1996, Health Communications, Deerfield Beach, Florida
Includes a close look at dynamics in a healthy marriage and family. How to drop dysfunctional patterns from the past, adopt focused behaviors that enhance balanced self-esteem and how to recover from hurtful, inappropriate family patterns that destroy self-worth.

Traits of a Healthy Family, Dolores Curran
c. 1983, Ballantine Books, New York, NY
A review of the 15 traits of a healthy family & how to attain same:
1. Communicates & listens
2. Affirms and supports one another
3. Teaches respect for one another
4. Develops a sense of trust
5. Has a sense of play and humor
6. Exhibits a sense of shares responsibility
7. Teaches a sense of right & wrong
8. Has a strong sense of family in which rituals and traditions abound
9. Has a balance of interaction among members
10. Has a shared religious core
11. Respects the privacy of one another
12. Values service to others
13. Fosters family table time and conversation
14. Shares leisure time
15. Admits to and seeks help with problems

Getting the Love You Want, A Guide For Couples, Harville Hendrix, PhD
c. 1988, Harper & Row, New York, NY
The premier primer for establishing healthy communication patterns that honor your partner’s woundedness, encourage new growth and manage daily difficulties that are far different from experienced dysfunctions. The use of the IMAGO model permeates the book. With a focus on listening, empathy and course correcting, couples can learn to plan for fun times, practice behavior change requests, focus on affirmations and steer clear of family of origin unhealthy, dysfunctional behaviors.

Men Are From Mars, Woman are From Venus, John Gray, PhD
c. 1992, HarperCollins New York NY
The classic “deep dive” into why men think and act as they do and why women think and act as they do. A soul-filled approach at affirming both, embracing both, and loving one another. Excellent examples of nuances that can cause communication derailments.

16 Ways to Love Your Lover, O. Kroeger
c. 1994, Delacorte Press, New York, NY
The co-authors of Type Talk apply their “TYPEWATCHING” techniques to interpersonal relationships, offering charts, exercises, and lighthearted anecdotes to help readers “find” themselves and build relationships that last. Excellent tie-in, especially if couples partake of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment and session read-out.

A Prayer for Children, Ina Hughes
c. 1995, William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York, NY
In revealing the innocence of children, the author shares “the insight of Dr. Spock and the humor of Erma Bombeck”, with hilarity and wisdom to show the grand humanity of children. Herein are a series of brief and beautifully penned parables – some are riotously funny reflecting moments of clothes shopping, ordering at McDonald’s and tragically ending with the heart-breaking story of a four-year old facing leukemia. Life’s nuggets under one book cover.

Gentle Closings – How to Say Goodbye to Someone You Love, Ted Menten
c. 1991, Worldwide Media Services, General Publishing Company, Ontario, Canada
As the author says, “….I like all the kissing and hugging and kissing and tears of joy when old friends get back together. I believe that love gives the best return on investment. I believe that truth is like a straight line – the shortest distance between two points. I believe in second chances, and third chances and fourth chances. I believe that listening is essential to loving. I believe in grief and sorrow and wailing and tears flowing like Niagara Falls. Tears mean something. They mean we’re alive and feeling. I believe that death is a friend, a fabulous dancer who will twirl e away in my last waltz. I believe in taking the time to say goodbye and not putting it off until another day. Because more than anything, I believe in love.”

How to Survive the Loss of a Love, Melba Colgrove, PhD., Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D. & Peter McWilliams
c. 1981, Bantam Boks, New York, NY
A brilliant summary of what to do when there is nothing left to be done. Walking the journey of Grief: Loss, Surviving, Healing, Growing and in doing all…once again, beginning to Live, again. Brilliant!

On Death and Dying, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
c. 1969, Google Books
Through the model of a five step process, we are taken through the realities of grief and loss.
Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Grief and Acceptance are steps that move us forward, yet also allow us to slip backwards – only to come up a bit further along than before. A kind way of reminding us: Grief is a part of life and moments when it is incredibly raw, are moments felt universally by all of humanity. An outstanding reference for a single person’s or family library.

Praying Our Goodbyes, Joyce Rupp, OSM
c. 1988, Ave Maria Press
With a deep reverence for the Christian foundation of scripture, the author takes the reader through many life losses – some suitable for singular readings. Such include: Seeking shelter in the storms of life, managing the struggles of a journey, a simple lonely day, saying farewell to one who is leaving, feelings of one who has been betrayed, one who is feeling lost, one who waits in darkness, one who has lost a child, one who needs inner healing and one who is weary from walking with others through their own goodbyes. An excellent “go to” compendium of support comfort and sustenance.

Rethinking how we hold space for grief and loss.
Michèle Pearson Clarke, TEDxPortofSpain

We don’t “move on” from grief. We move forward with it.
Nora McInerny, TEDWomen 2018

Navigating the world of grief.
Laura Thomas, TEDxCherryCreekWomen

Can I ‘Like’ an Obituary?
Shari Stern, This is How My Story Ends

The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran
c. 1974, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York NY
A summary most eloquently written on all the grand pieces of our lives: Love, Marriage, Children, Giving, Work, Houses, Clothes, Crime & Punishment, Laws, Freedom, Pain, Self-Knowledge, Teaching, Friendship, Good & Evil, Time, Prayer, Pleasure, Beauty, Death and The Farewell, and more. A must for one’s spiritual library.

Looking Up…While Lying Down, Thoughts, Poems and Prayers for those in the Hospital
c. 1978 John Biegert, The Pilgrim Press, Cleveland, Ohio
From a prayer before surgery, to a prayer for serenity, a prayer for gratitude, a prayer for sleep, a prayer for coping and Words of Hope…we are fully reminded that The Almighty is within us, around us and ever looking over us.

“6 Etiquette Rules to Remember when Sending Condolences”, Martha Stewart
How to Send Condolences | Martha Stewart