A free holiday guide
The Empty Chair
For the holidays after loss, when the table is set and someone is missing. You don't have to get through this season alone.
What the guide will hold
The guide is being written now. When it's ready, you'll find:
The empty chair
Gentle ideas for the table, the traditions and the seat no one else can fill. Keep them, change them or set them down this year.
When people say the wrong thing
Simple words for the gatherings, the invitations and the "How are you holding up?"
Ways to keep them close
Small, specific ways to carry your love for them into the season: a story, an ornament, a recipe in their handwriting.
A quiet place for faith and doubt
Room for prayer, for questions, and for the days when neither comes easily.
A note from Jason
I'm a hospice chaplain, and I'm writing a book called Hello Again Healing. I've sat with many families in the hardest weeks of their lives, and the holidays have a way of making the missing louder.
This guide won't fix that, and it won't hurry you. It's meant to keep you company: a few honest words and some gentle ideas for the days ahead. Your grief and your love can both have a place at the table.
— Jason Hartig
Coming soon
Free holiday gatherings
Three free online webinars for the season, on November 17, December 1 and December 15. Times and details are on the way. Sign up for the guide and we'll let you know.
Keep me postedGentle questions
Is the guide really free?
Yes. There's no cost and no credit card. Just your email so we can send it.
When will I get it?
The guide is being finished now. We'll email it to you as soon as it's ready, before the holidays.
Is this therapy or counseling?
No. Hello Again is companionship, not therapy. If your grief feels too heavy to carry, please reach out to a licensed counselor, your doctor or a hospice bereavement team.
Do I have to be religious?
Not at all. Faith is welcome here, and so are questions and doubt. You belong here wherever you are.
It's been years. Is this still for me?
Yes. Grief doesn't keep a schedule. Whether this is your first holiday without them or your tenth, you're welcome.