Journeys Through Grief

02/27/2026

Hello Journeys family! On Wednesday evening, we went live on Facebook….. or at least we tried to. Technology was not on our side, and we are sorry to those of you who were anticipating a live broadcast. Instead, we posted the “live” content as a reel so that you could still interact with it. Thank you for your understanding.

One of the things I shared was that nature is soothing in its ability to reconnect us with ourselves and remind us of our need for each other. Here is a quote from Rachel Carson I am fond of- I hope it inspires you today and brings you peace even in sorrow.

02/26/2026

02/24/2026

Sometimes death comes by degrees. Our loved one is still with us, but we lose them one moment at a time to horrible diseases that rob them of memory, mobility, wellness, and time. We grieve while they are still with us and we grieve when they have departed this life for the next. It is a long, painful journey.

In her book, Black Liturgies, Cole Arthur Riley offers us these words:

“I cannot write to you in good faith claiming beauty in death without honoring that death also steals something from us. To lose someone is to lose a world…The familiar becomes strange…Death hurts. We don’t have to pretend otherwise.” Pg. 193-194

Be patient with yourself today.

02/19/2026

Our life story holds many experiences that shape the way we process loss. Factors like family dynamics, the quality of our relationships, how we make sense of loss, the impact of trauma, the interpretations we make from observing others’ emotions, and the like all collide within us to form our response to loss. Sometimes, as with disenfranchised grief, we are left with nowhere to turn when this collision takes place. Nowhere we feel seen and heard. The feeling of isolation can be overwhelming, only compounding our grief and making it more challenging to process.

It’s , the day we set aside on Journeys to hold space for each other’s experiences. This is a place to feel seen and heard. I invite you to share in the comments one word or short phrase that describes where you are on your grief journey today.

My word is longing.

02/13/2026

This weekend we celebrate Valentine’s Day, a day to honor love in all it’s expressions.

I remember as a little girl, my dad would leave a heart shaped chocolate box in my room after I went off to school. I came home from a long day at school, entered my room and felt…loved. It wasn’t the box of chocolates. No, it was that my dad thought of me and made an effort to show his love. This year, again, there will be no box of chocolates waiting for me in my room when I get home. It will hit me all over; how much I miss him.

To honor the ethos of the day, I attempted to write a haiku that speaks to the loss this day can bring forward. I invite you to comment about your loved one, a shared memory, or try your hand at a poem in the comments below.

02/11/2026

Wednesday is International Day of Women and Girls in Science. As I think about that day approaching, it reminds me that there are many reasons why we grieve. Death of a loved one, certainly being one of them.

But we also grieve when the dreams we dream die from lack of opportunity. We grieve the injustice in an unlevel playing field. We grieve at the voices of poets, scientists, dreamers, and artists never heard. Sometimes the grief of these losses steals the breath from our lungs when we stop and take account.

That an International Day of Women and Girls in Science exists means women are making strides. Yet, as with many battles, we still have a long way to go. So, today, let us make space to grieve for the women whose gifts, contributions, and voices have never been heard….and, for those of us who now will never receive the benefit of their gifts, contributions, and voices.

02/05/2026

Hello Journeys Through Grief family, it is my desire that this space not only offers you information about processing grief but also a place to experience connection on the journey; hopefully building a platform to be heard and known. Each Thursday, I will open the space in the comments for sharing part of your grief journey.

Since we have been thinking about anticipatory grief this week, I was wondering if you would share an experience of anticipatory grief with us in the comments below. Listening to one another’s stories helps us support one another and process our own.

And, because I believe in leading with vulnerability, I will share an experience I had. My dad was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia in 2013. At the time we had seen signs of cognitive change, but the diagnosis still rocked us. We feared the unknown trajectory of the disease and the reality of losing our dad one agonizing day, month, year at a time. As the years progressed, dad did lose memories, time, awareness of reality, and mobility. The unknown caused anxiety and sadness for us all. Personally, I grieved the loss of his stories, his ability to track our conversations, and his hugs. By 2024, we knew we could no longer care for him at home….another devastating loss. He died about 4 months after beginning hospice. We knew it was coming; we grieved all the previous losses. None of that made it easier to say goodbye. We/I still miss him every day.

02/03/2026

Today we acknowledge that tomorrow is World Cancer Day. It may feel ironic to post this message in anticipation of a day of remembrance. That irony lies in the fact that a cancer diagnosis can often create a sense of anticipatory grief for both those diagnosed and the people who love them.

Anticipatory grief occurs when we begin the grieving process ahead of an expected loss. This type of grief is often accompanied by anxiety, anger, powerlessness, and sadness. We grieve the potential loss while trying to balance that grief with the need to soak up the present moment with our beloved. Staying present during anticipatory grief is a difficult task.

Are there ways you have discovered that help you do this? Please share in the comments section below.

01/28/2026

There is so much to grieve these days. Every senseless death we experience is cause for grief and this collective grief compounds our ache over the loved ones we have personally lost. Let your tears fall and let your groans rend the silence for they are the wellspring of healing.

01/22/2026

When we are grieving, it can seem impossible to imagine a time when we won’t feel the ache of loss. Likewise, it can feel impossible to imagine how life will be on the other side of loss. When I struggle to imagine the possibilities in the impossible, sometimes an image can help me notice my internal struggles and, well, see new possibilities.

Here is a visual practice that has helped me in the past-maybe it will help you too:

1. Take a moment to breathe deeply. Inhale and exhale a few times. Get into a comfortable position.

2. When you are ready, open your eyes and study the picture above. Consider the following questions:
a. What in the image stands out to me?
b. How does that piece of the image reflect my current
situation?
c. Take another look at the image. Is there a part of it that offers
hope?
d. How do you want to respond to what you have noticed?

3. Journal anything you have noticed that you want to remember or revisit. This can be a simple list or a longer entry.

Please share a bit of your observations in the comments. We would love to hear from you and have this be a place to support one another.

01/20/2026

Trauma is an experience of an event that is stressful, frightening, overwhelming, distressing. It can be a re-occurring or one-time event. Traumatic grief is a prolonged bereavement experienced due to the sudden, unexpected loss of a loved one. It often occurs when we lose a loved one to violence, accidents, or su***de.

As we remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and our own experiences of traumatic loss, let us pause to acknowledge the pain, anxiety, stress, and memories that invade our consciousness. Take a deep breath and remember you are not alone. Be kind to yourself and others today, remembering our grief is personal and sometimes collective. It all matters and it all impacts us in some way. What acts of self-care do you need today? How can we be a light to others who carry traumatic grief?

01/13/2026

There is a balance in our grief work to both remember our loved one and find new ways of living after our loved one has passed. Here are two questions for us to explore together:

1. What is a treasured memory of life with your loved one?
2. What is something new you would like to try this year? It could be joining a support group, taking a dance class, learning to cook something new, or trying a new sport. Maybe, you would even like to begin something again that you used to love to do.

Share your thoughts in the comments below.