For more than 20 years, the University of Utah College of Nursing's Caring Connections: A Hope and Comforting Grief Program has brought people together in grief and support, offering a space that feels both like a ceremony and a place of quiet refuge. This year's Seeds of Remembrance event continued that tradition, welcoming attendees in person and online for an evening of music, reflection, and shared remembrance. It's a gathering shaped as much by those who attend as by those being remembered, creating a sense of connection that lingers long after the evening ends.
The evening was led by Laura Bradbury, LCSW, PhD, Director of Caring Connections. She opened with a poem that gently asked everyone in the room to let go of the noise of daily life, to clear away the constant distractions and simply sit with their grief. It set the tone in a quiet but meaningful way. Marla De Jong, PhD, RN, CCNS, FAAN, Dean of the College of Nursing, followed with a welcome that acknowledged the many kinds of loss present in the room, including the loss of a child or an adult, expected or unexpected. She spoke directly to how grief can weigh differently depending on the circumstances. "Grief can be especially difficult for some, including men, or those grieving certain kinds of death," De Jong said, "such as death related to substance abuse, war, or suicide." She added that even when grief feels heavy or awkward, "presence matters and brings light," and encouraged attendees to lean on the social connections and compassion that help people heal and carry on.
Music carried much of the evening. Singer-songwriter Paul Jacobson, a Salt Lake City native, performed original songs shaped by the loss of his brother in 2010. Rather than trying to inspire or uplift in the traditional sense, Jacobson described his role as one of witnessing. That idea settled into the room as he played, creating space for people to feel whatever they were carrying without needing to explain it. His set included both original work and a closing cover of Tom Petty's "Wildflowers," ending on a note that felt both tender and familiar.
The keynote address came from George Deussen, a Salt Lake City business leader and mental health advocate who lost his son Stockton to suicide on June 27, 2016. Speaking candidly, especially as the ten-year anniversary approaches, Deussen shared what the years since have looked like, the instinct to try to fix what can't be fixed, and the gradual shift from asking "why did this happen?" to "what do I do with this now?"
He also spoke directly to men's mental health, reflecting on how often boys are taught to push through rather than speak openly about pain. His message was a call to create spaces where people feel safe being honest about what they're going through. He closed with a thought that stayed with many in the room: we don't move on from the people we've lost, we move forward with them.
Caring Connections recognized two honorees during the event. The Huntsman Cancer Institute Patient and Family Support Team received the annual community partner Kind Remembrance Award for piloting a grief support program for people who have lost someone to cancer, a group not previously served by existing community offerings. The team has partnered with Caring Connections on grief research and has provided support regardless of patients' ability to pay.
Brighton Allen, LCSW, a mental health therapist based in Logan, Utah, was named Caring Connections Support Group Facilitator of the Year, receiving the Carma Kent Heart of Caring Award. The award is named for a founding member of the Caring Connections Advisory Board who lost her husband to suicide and dedicated herself to supporting suicide loss survivors. Allen has facilitated grief groups with the program for four years, traveling from Logan or joining virtually, and was among the first facilitators of Caring Connections' pre-loss grief support group.
To learn more about Caring Connections and the support it offers throughout the year, visit the program's website. A recording of the full Seeds of Remembrance event is available below for those who wish to revisit the evening or experience it for the first time.