Dandelion Clock Transitions

12/27/2025

Christmas feels different as an adult.

When I was younger,
I thought Christmas was found in the noise.
In the wrapping paper everywhere,
the late-night tv and hot chocolate,
the crowded house,
and the early mornings that came far too soon.
Back then, I believed the wonder was loud.

But now I know
the wonder is quiet.

It lives in the soft glow of the tree
before the day has even started.
It lives in the memories that show up without asking —
some joyful, some tender,
some carrying faces and names I still ache for.

Christmas becomes something reflective.
Every ornament tells a story.
Every recipe remembers a pair of loving hands.
A doorway to who we used to be,
before we understood
how quickly time would carry everything forward.

I did not realize then
how fast children could grow,
how parents would age,
how soon “next year” would become “years ago.”

Time is the blessing.

It is holding the people you love
just a little longer.
It is letting go of what never really mattered.
It is being thankful for one more December —
for breath,
for life,
for another chance to love well.

It is sitting in the stillness
and realizing the greatest gifts
were never wrapped or placed beneath the tree.
Maybe that is the gift of aging —
you stop chasing wonder and start recognizing it.

Joy is softer,
gratitude runs deeper,
love stretches wider,
and the meaning shines clearer than ever.

12/23/2025

12/18/2025

The endless nights that stretch

12/18/2025

If Christmas is hard,
If you’ve lost someone dear.
Just look in your heart,
And you’ll know they’re still here.

The star in the sky,
The light falling snow.
The robin outside,
It seems like they know.

If this is a time,
When you’re struggling through.
Just do what you can,
For what matters, is you.

There’s no need to be merry,
There’s no need to be bright.
Just do what you can,
It will all be right.

11/23/2025

Shared from OR: families deserve better information than fear-based answers.

⚘️🌷🪻
Her death was sudden, a heart attack that took her quickly and unexpectedly, and because of that, she was taken to the medical examiner for an autopsy. While her body lay there, her family was at home, grieving and terrified that her final wishes were no longer possible.

They had already spoken with another funeral home, who told them something many families are told when they don’t know they have options:

💬“Because she had an autopsy, a green burial is impossible. Plastics are required.”

That word **required** hit them like a wall.
Their mother had been clear about what she wanted, and the idea of failing her, of turning her final act on this earth into something she never believed in, was breaking them.

That’s when they found me.

And I told them the truth, the truth I’ve lived inside this profession for years:

Autopsy does not prevent green burial.
Plastics are not required.
And families deserve better information than fear-based answers.

I let them know I have cared for countless autopsied individuals over the years. It does take special skill and understanding, but it is absolutely possible and it can be done gently, ethically, and without a single piece of plastic.

Out of respect for this family, I won’t share the technical methods here, I save those for teaching other professionals. What I can share is the part that matters:

She got her green burial.
Her real one.
The one she wanted.
No plastic.
No chemicals.
No disasters.
No drama.
Just earth and the people who loved her.

Even in the hardest moments, even when the system makes it feel impossible, there are ways back to the path someone chose for themselves.

And this family walked her all the way home. 🌿💚

11/20/2025

Hold your loved ones tightly, let them know how much they mean to you, and how much you love them.

And to those grieving during this holiday season, you are not alone, and our hearts and thoughts are with you. ❤️

11/20/2025

Thanksgiving is only a week away…
and for many of us, the closer it gets,
the heavier everything begins to feel.

Everyone is talking about plans, food, family, and gratitude...
but nobody sees the quiet heartbreak
behind the people who are just trying to survive the holidays
without the person they miss more than anything.

There will be an empty chair this year.
A space that used to be filled with laughter,
stories, and a voice we would give anything to hear again.

And while the world expects us to be thankful,
they don’t understand how complicated it is
to carry grief and gratitude in the same heart.

We’re trying.
We’re doing our best to hold it together,
to smile when it hurts,
to show up even when our heart feels broken.

But the truth is…
this season is hard.
And missing someone you love
doesn’t get easier just because a holiday is coming.

So if your heart is aching too...
you’re not alone.
We’ll get through this together, one breath, one day at a time.
🕯️💔

11/20/2025

"Stick Season" available now: https://noahkahan.lnk.to/stick-season Follow Noah Kahan: Facebook: http://facebook.com/noahkahanmusicInstagram: http://instagra...

11/15/2025

What if

Discover Billie Eilish's top songs & albums, curated artist radio stations & more. Listen to Billie Eilish on Pandora today!

11/14/2025

Closer Than We Think

Our departed loved ones
are closer than we think.
Not gone,
but transformed,
woven into the quiet moments
of our lives.

Love, once given,
does not disappear.
It changes form,
softens,
and lives within
the spaces between us.

If we grow quiet enough,
if we let the world rest
for a moment,
we can feel it,
not as memory,
but as presence.

They are here,
just beyond the veil of sight,
breathing through the spaces
love once opened,
reminding us,
with every stillness,
that nothing truly loved
is ever lost.

~ 'Closer Than We Think' by Spirit of a Hippie

✍️ Mary Anne Byrne

~ Art by Olamik