Melinda Ruppert, LCPC, LCMHC

04/22/2026

Come see me on May 2nd (NC)!

Save the Date!

04/21/2026

🌻Hello, Maryland! I am accepting new clients for virtual grief and loss counseling.

04/14/2026

04/03/2026

I know that sometimes it feels like the grief bursts/waves will never end..... it may not seem like it right now but but you will learn to "ride the waves."

Grief doesn’t arrive all at once.

It comes in waves.

In the beginning, it can feel like the ship has just gone down and you’re in the water trying to catch your breath. Everything around you feels unfamiliar. The life you knew is suddenly gone, and nothing makes sense anymore.

In those early days, survival isn’t about moving forward or figuring anything out, it’s really just about staying afloat.

Sometimes that looks like getting through the next hour.
Sometimes it’s just taking the next breath and holding on.

Over time, something begins to shift, even if it’s so subtle you almost don’t notice it at first.

The waves don’t stop coming, but they begin to space themselves out.

There may be moments when you find yourself talking with someone or going about your day and, for a brief second, you forget. You might even laugh and then feel that familiar ache return just as quickly.

Because grief has a way of coming back when you least expect it. A song, a scent, a place, or a date on the calendar can bring a wave rushing in without warning, pulling you right back into the depth of what you’ve lost.

But there’s something else that happens along the way, something people don’t always talk about. You begin, little by little, to learn how to ride those waves. Not perfectly, and not without struggle, but with a quiet understanding that when one hits, it won’t last forever.

Here’s the thing…after a while you start to recognize that even after the hardest moments, you’re still here.

Still breathing.
Still carrying the love you shared forward in your own way.

And maybe that’s what surviving grief really looks like.

Not getting over it, not leaving it behind, but learning how to stay afloat in a life that feels so different than the one you had.

And realizing…one wave at a time…that you’re still here.

Gary Sturgis
Author: ‘SURVIVING GRIEF – 365 Days A Year’

03/31/2026

Permission slip: you can be functional and falling apart.

Grief often moves back and forth. Some days you’re getting things done, showing up, taking care of what’s in front of you. Other days you’re deep in the missing. And sometimes it’s both in the same hour.

Also: laughing doesn’t mean you’re “over it.” It can be part of how we survive what hurts.

If you need a reminder today, let it be this: two things can be true. Share this with someone who needs permission to feel both.

03/27/2026

Community resource (Maryland)

I am so excited to share that I will be hosting a new grief group for children ages 10-14 starting in June.

03/26/2026

You never really know what someone carrying grief is holding that day.

Grief asks people to do the impossible every day.

To keep showing up, keep loving, keep moving forward, while carrying the ache of someone who is no longer here.

So be gentle…
With the friend who seems quiet.
With the one who laughs and still hurts.
With the heart learning how to hold both love and loss at the same time.

Some people are walking through life with a grief you cannot see. And kindness matters more than you know.

03/21/2026

*in person
*small group
*learn new coping skills
*be with others who are also grieving
♥️Reserve your spot for Grief Happens Support Group starting this coming Tuesday at 6:00pm.

03/18/2026

try not to compare your healing journey with others 💕