The Grief I carry
The Grief I Carry I thought today would be about missing Mark. I was going through his phone, checking messages and seeing what I needed to back up so I could reset it. But as the tears came, so did more names. More faces. More ache. Mom Dad Bill- my stepdad Dawn- my sister Tawni- my niece And Mark Each loss etched into my soul. Each one layered on top of the last, like waves that never fully recede before the subsequent one crashes in. Grief is strange like that. Some days, I move through the motions. I smile. I talk. I function. And then a message, a photo, or even a blank screen stirs everything up again. The missing floods came like a wave I didn't see coming. Today's reading from Healing after Loss reminded me of something I've been struggling with. It spoke to the idea that grief—especially "old" grief—doesn't go away. It just changes form. People often hesitate to bring up our loved ones, worried it will reopen wounds. But ho...