About Me
How do any of us distill a lifetime into a few hundred words?
I can tell you about my work, what I’ve written, what I’ve built, and the letters that come after my name. But none of those things tell you who I am.
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. My childhood best friend reminded me that when I was seven, I sat at the little desk in my bedroom and wrote stories. I had forgotten sitting at the desk, but I never forgot how much I loved to write. By nine, I was publishing and distributing a newsletter for the kids on my block.
When death and junior high entered my life, my words stopped.
My father died when I was twelve. By thirteen, I had read my first book about death. After that, whenever someone in my family experienced a loss, or a friend’s parent died, I was often the first one there.
I didn’t choose grief work. Death chose me.
In 1985, I met with my first grieving widow. I have been with people as the end of their lives neared and sat with them when they took their last breath.
I have a PhD in psychology and am a Fellow in Thanatology through the Association for Death Education and Counseling. My friends call me Ginni. Some clients call me Dr. Ginni. One cheeky friend, a licensed clinical psychologist, likes to tease by calling me Dr. Death.
In 1995, I founded The Mourning Star Center for grieving children and their families. As a grieving child myself, I understood the importance of giving children a safe place to share and discover they were not alone. I ran the Center for ten years, went into schools, appeared on television and radio, and gave speeches throughout the Coachella Valley. I am especially proud that I helped educate the community about the needs of grieving children.
Since 2009, I have served as Executive Counseling Director for funeral homes throughout the United States and Canada, where my grief-support videos are part of their online aftercare.
My life changed abruptly in 1999 when a medical emergency made it necessary for my mother to come live with me. We were together until she died in 2005, and those years led to my fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming a published author. The Space Between: A Memoir of Mother-Daughter Love at the End of Life is about my race against time to heal our relationship before she died. By the time she exhaled her last breath, the only thing between us was love. It won numerous awards, including the Sarton Award for best memoir.
I recently completed Breaking My Heart Until It Opened. I believed I was writing about a relationship I had with a wealthy older man I called The Cookie Man, but as I wrote, I discovered there was more to the story than I’d thought.
The Other Side of Young is my Substack newsletter about life, loss, relationships, aging, curiosity, and what I am still learning.
I’m motivated by helping people. That has been the thread throughout my life, my bereavement work, my writing, and the writing group I lead. I give people time, attention, understanding, and something useful they can use in their own lives.
I’m still curious and learning, finding adventure in what others might call an ordinary day. I’ve loved dogs since I was a child, including four Golden Retrievers who have owned me and taught me you can be smart and silly.
I live in California with my husband Bob and our Golden Retriever, Shelby.
