Remaining anchored amid life’s winds is fundamental to enduring this thing called ‘life.’ It’s a paraphrase of a saying my dad sometimes shared with me as an adult, especially in moments when I felt emotionally deflated and spiritually discouraged. Like the time I mentally prepared for a job I didn’t receive. Or when I struggled […]
When the holiday calls — Father’s Day, in this case — you have no choice but to answer, even as you grieve. I know, I know, my friend. This absolutely sucks! Yet what choice do you have as a grieving heart? Option 1 is to insert yourself in bubble wrap to insulate yourself from being […]
Over nine years into my grief journey following my mom’s death and just shy of two years following my dad’s death, I’ve discovered the value inherent in leading yourself through rituals. What are rituals? Merriam-Webster defines a ritual as follows: “an act or series of acts regularly repeated in a set precise manner.” A grief […]
Why doesn’t he get it? This is a question I’ve occasionally asked throughout the past couple of years as I’ve grieved the death of my dad. The ‘he’ I’m referring to is my fiancé, David. Just before the official announcement of the global pandemic in March 2020, my adventurous, Harley Davidson riding dad died suddenly […]
The first year of grieving had me running on empty … Unfortunately, as a high-performing and energetic woman, I didn’t even realize it at the time. Looking back, however, especially at pictures of myself, I can see the toll grief took on my body. The year, 2013 … roughly 10 months after my mom died. […]
Have you ever been ghosted by a friend throughout your grief journey? In case you’re unfamiliar with the term “ghosted,” check out this 2019 The New York Times article about why people ghost: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/22/smarter-living/why-people-ghost-and-how-to-get-over-it.html. Essentially, ghosting occurs when a person severs communication with another person without explanation. The LAST thing I thought would ever happen […]
‘Why the heck am I feeling this way?’ This was the recurring question I asked myself in the months following my mom’s death. I found myself riddled with seemingly random aches and pains, including lingering headaches that lasted for nearly a year. This, coupled with crippling fatigue, left me feeling physically battered and emotionally overwhelmed. […]
Does anyone else know a thing or two about walking through the fog? It’s day five of 2022, and all I can say is, ‘Phew … thank you, Lord, for carrying me through the past two years!’ Am I the only one? 2020 started off with anticipation. My dad had just undergone a surgical procedure […]
As grief attempts to surround us on all sides, what would it look like to tap into the magic of curiosity? At first glance, you may be thinking there’s not much room to consider cultivating much beyond the grief process itself. Trust me, I get it. It’s hard enough to simply wake up and complete […]
With the year drawing to a close, you’ve probably been asked in one form or another, ‘What are you planning?’ Typically, this question is posed to help us consider plans for the remainder of the year, as well as the upcoming year. It’s an annual ritual that leaves many of us, myself included, creating end-of-year […]
