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Grief doesn’t disappear with time. But we don’t have to carry it alone. May 26, 2015 sucked. There really isn’t a softer way for me to say it. I was at work, about 45 minutes from home. I was a floor nurse in a rehab hospital at the time. It was close to the…
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A fifth grade graduation reminded me that children carry grief too — even when adults forget to notice. Over the past few weeks, it feels like everyone has been celebrating graduations. Kindergarten graduations.Fifth grade graduations.High school graduations.College graduations. Endings and beginnings have been everywhere. And I am no exception. My bonus son recently graduated…
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Love Leaves Fingerprints As Father’s Day approaches, I find myself thinking about my dad more than usual. I lost him almost 11 years ago, and in many ways, I still feel like that little girl who adored her father. I was a daddy’s girl through and through. He taught me things that seemed ordinary…
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Not everyone looks forward to Mother’s Day. Some people just try to get through it. Mother’s Day is coming. And every year, it shows up wrapped in the same things—flowers, cards, brunch reservations, picture-perfect posts. But if we’re being honest…it doesn’t feel that way for everyone. I’ve never been someone who pretends to understand…
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What grief taught me about becoming someone new Last night, I did something that stretched me more than I expected. I spoke live at the Global Grief Conference. And I won’t sugarcoat it—I was uncomfortable. Not the “a little nervous” kind of uncomfortable.The kind where your heart is pounding, your thoughts feel louder than…
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The moment I wanted to tell grief to f*** off Have you ever been so frustrated, so disappointed, that it almost lit a fire in you? Not the quiet, tearful kind of grief—but the kind that makes you clench your jaw and think, this isn’t how I want things to be. I’ve been sitting in…
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Re-Learning Joy Joy doesn’t erase grief. It balances it. Have you ever heard the phrase bittersweet? That’s what I think of when I picture laughing while crying at the same time… hurting and loving in the same breath. Because grief and joy can exist together. Even when it feels confusing. A new baby is born—…
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Have you ever felt just… off? Not sad.Not angry.Not even sure what the emotion is—just not yourself. That’s where I’ve been. My head and my heart have felt like an indoor Category 5 hurricane—spinning, loud, overwhelming, with no clear place to land. I missed my friend’s funeral… and that’s been sitting heavy with me.…
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If you’re tired of being strong, rest here awhile. Have you ever felt exhausted… but not just physically? The kind of tired that sleep doesn’t fix. The kind that sits in your chest, your thoughts, your body. That’s not weakness. That’s grief. Grief doesn’t just show up as sadness. It shows up as fatigue.…
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Have you ever been so frustrated, so disappointed, that it almost lit a fire in you? Not the quiet, tearful kind of grief—but the kind that makes you clench your jaw and think, this isn’t how I want things to be. I’ve been sitting in that space lately. There’s a class I want to…