The holidays are a time when the grief I carry with me takes a toll on me. This year I had an epiphany that I develop holiday grief amnesia, where I forget that I feel this way every year since my husband died. I think it’s the brain’s way of protecting me from emotional overload. This year, I gave it a name, which has helped me be gentler with myself.
Category: life after loss
Navigating Grief: The Power of Community Connections
In this blog, I reflect on the importance of community support not only in my grief journey, but also in finding joy after the death of loved ones. Photography and improv led me to build communities that I didn’t think were possible.
#griefjourney #communitysupport
Missing Dad: Three Years Later
There’s a rudderless feeling I’ve experienced with the death of both of my parents in 2022. I reflect on missing my dad three years from the anniversary of his death.
#missingdad #memories #grief
Thirteen Years Later: A Journey Through Grief and Healing
March 13th will mark Mike’s 13th deathiversary. It feels like an eternity ago and yesterday at the same time. Anticipation of the actual date is emotionally hard. This year, I’ve reached out to people to spend time with as was suggested is something that I read recently about emotional anniversaries. Each year I meet the day differently, depending on where I’m at in my life.
Coping Tools for Dealing with Grief and Stress: A Personal Journey
When I get a call at an unexpected time from my daughter, my brain goes to a place where something’s wrong, or someone has died. I know that this is her reaction as well because we have lived through the traumatic sudden death of my husband and her father. Last week, she called me from…… Continue reading Coping Tools for Dealing with Grief and Stress: A Personal Journey
Lucky, Grateful, Bittersweet
“I feel extremely lucky, extremely grateful, and a little bit bittersweet too.” ~Wentworth Miller The mixture of luck, gratitude, and bittersweet is how I best describe my life. Each one plays a part in who I am today, but since the death of my husband and the subsequent deaths of my mom and dad, bittersweet…… Continue reading Lucky, Grateful, Bittersweet
A Love Story
Watching the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Eternal Memory” gave me a new perspective on my mom’s Alzheimer’s and my parents’ deaths. Director Maite Alberdi shares the compelling story of Augusto Gongora, a producer and editor, and Paulina Urrutia, an actress, a married couple in Chile, and their story of living with Augusto’s Alzheimer’s. Because the grief…… Continue reading A Love Story
The Memory Keeper
One of the things that makes Mike’s death hard is the lack of people sharing memories about him. The early days were full of shock and extreme grief. Because of the circumstances of his death and an encounter with a former client who made an inappropriate remark, I was cautious with what I shared. My…… Continue reading The Memory Keeper
A New Kind of Birthday
“You were the first baby I saw being born,” my mom would tell me when she would wish me a happy birthday every year. I was the second of five children. The window was at an angle that allowed her to see my entrance into the world. “You were always in a hurry, ready to…… Continue reading A New Kind of Birthday
Transitions
I’ve never liked change. But, unfortunately, life is about constant change: birth, growing up, working, relationships, health, and death. The first and last are the bookmarks of life. It’s the in-between that is messy and unpredictable. I wish I could hold onto moments of joy forever, while I’d rather forget the most painful times. All…… Continue reading Transitions
Beautiful Bittersweet Life 
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