As the holidays approach she knows my heart is tender as we start to plan and prepare– a delicate perk of having friends that know you as intimately as family. I have tears in my eyes as I look down and say, “Grief is just so heavy, especially this time of year.” Without skipping a beat, she hugs me and says, “It really is. But…

Today as we left our house I looked at my favorite tree and felt a little sad. “Oh no!”, just kind of slipped out of my mouth as I realized all of the vibrant red leaves had all fallen off, leaving nothing but dark brown branches. My daughter leans in and says, “It’s ok! They’ll be back. They always come back.” It was simple and…

I can’t tell you how to fix your grief or how to overcome it but I can tell you what it feels like.  It feels like the air has escaped your lungs at a pace that you can’t recover from. Like you can’t breathe or move. Like you heart stopped beating when their’s did. Like what you’re experiencing isn’t survivable.  It feels like fear, anger,…

In the thick of my grief a friend courageously asks “What do you think your mom would want you to do?” Sincerely, I reply, “I wish I knew,” while delicately hiding the pain that comes from speaking this truth. My mother has been gone for years. I no longer get the opportunity to call and ask her advice or her opinion. Things are different when…