grief
Transitions come in many forms—career shifts, empty nests, health journeys, relationship changes. Each invites us to pause and reimagine life on the other side. I’m opening a free, in-person Community Circle series for adults starting Sept 6. This is not a lecture, but a circle: space to breathe, reflect, and connect with others navigating change. Adults only; registration required. Space is limited!
Packing up to leave for Virginia tomorrow. My brother’s sticker-covered cooler is the first thing going in the car — a small piece of him coming home with me, though I wish it were under different circumstances.
#grief #roadtrip #journey #inmemory #homewardbound
FYI
I’ve decided not to report much on #HunterBiden’s trial. It is evident that he, Beau’s widow, & the #Biden family were in deep #grief.
In that grief, Hunter & Hallie self-medicated w/a highly addictive drug. Hunter already had a predisposition to #addiction, & he did what people addicted to drugs & alcohol do — made terrible decisions.
He admitted it & admitted to committing crimes during his addiction.
Detailing that painful time for the purpose of humiliating his family is cruel.
Alice Wong helped me accept my disabilities.
She taught me there’s no social justice without disability justice.
She encouraged me to start The Disabled Ginger and was a friend & mentor.
She won’t be forgotten.
Don’t let the bastards grind you down:
https://www.disabledginger.com/p/thank-you-alice-wong
#alicewong #disability #disabilityjustice #chronicillness #ableism #death #grief
🍵 
“Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life’s search for love and wisdom.” ~ Rumi
The losses keep coming, each one testing my strength. Today my uncle passed away — just over a month after losing my dad, his brother. It feels heavy, but I will keep going.
But I’m still here. Still breathing. Still choosing to look for small things to hold onto.
1. Dad and my uncle are no longer separated by illness or time.
2. I am stronger than I feel in the middle of the night.
3. I am not walking through this completely alone.
Bonus: This sunrise on the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the images in my “filmstrip in my head” — the kind I think about when I wake in the night. It reminds me that light returns, and with it comes quiet gratitude and hope for the day ahead.
#3GoodThings #Grief #LifeAfterLoss #OneDayAtATime #FindingLight #ThreeGoodThings #virginia #blueridgemountains
A month ago today, Dad died.
Somehow that feels both recent and far away, and I’m trying not to let the passing days make him feel further from me.
This photo was taken in 2022, just south of Grayling, Michigan. I was driving him to Virginia so he could live with us. The road stretched out ahead of us, and we had no idea what the next years would hold. But we were happy to be on the journey together.
A few days before that trip, he left me a voicemail telling me he loved me and was happy I was coming for him. I still have that message. It’s my most precious treasure.
Lately, when memories hit, my chest tightens and I sigh to let the pressure out. Sometimes I cry anyway. And that’s good.
I’m especially grateful for the people who have understood where I’m at without me having to explain it, and who have quietly offered their support.
One month. Still figuring out how to carry this.
1. I felt the weight today of realizing that when I lost my dad, I didn’t just lose a parent — I lost the one person in this family who always stood quietly but firmly in my corner.
2. Grief has a way of stripping things down to the truth. It shows you who reaches out, who disappears, and who your heart can no longer lean on. That clarity hurts… but it’s also strangely grounding.
3. In the middle of all this heartbreak, I’m discovering that the people who show up — the ones who check in, who simply see me — are the ones keeping me upright. Chosen support is turning out to be a lifeline.
#threegoodthings #3goodthings #SmallMoments #grief #loss #healing #bereavement
Turning the calendar page today was harder than I expected. That last month held the final days of my dad’s life, and letting it go felt like I was moving farther away from him.
This photo, Solitude at Sunset, helps. That’s my dad in the silhouette. I took this years ago, after Mom had already been gone for a while, and gave it to him for Father’s Day. Somehow it feels like it’s come back to me now — a quiet reminder that love doesn’t disappear just because time keeps moving.
And the third thing is that I did it anyway. I turned the page, even though it hurt, choosing to carry him with me instead of leaving him behind.
#3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings #photography #ayearforart #grief #grateful
Today’s Small Moment:
In the midst of losing my dad—and my brother just four months ago—I’ve been overwhelmed by how deeply simple kindness can matter. Friends, extended family, and even people I’ve never met have been a quiet anchor in these hardest days.
Grief has also shown me who steps forward and who stays silent. That truth stings, but it’s grounding. It reminds me to lean toward the people whose compassion shines without being asked.
This photograph came from a morning when I rushed up the Blue Ridge Parkway, hoping to reach Pine Spur Overlook before sunrise (several years ago). I arrived later than I planned, yet the light that waited there still found me—quiet and steady, much like the support that has carried me through these days. It might sound corny and cliché, but it’s true.
#SmallMoments #grief #healing #bereavement #community #kindness #support #photography #Virginia #grateful
You might forget the exact sound of her voice
or how her face looked when sleeping.
You might forget the sound of her quiet weeping
curled into the shape of a half moon…
—Jackie Kay, “Darling”
published in DARLING (Bloodaxe, 2007)
https://www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/darling-877
#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #JackieKay #grief #death
Kindness doesn’t always show up when I expect it. I’m learning I can’t control that—only how much space I give it, and who I choose to remain.
When I was a teenager, Dad and I were at a grocery store checkout where the cashier was having a hard day. Dad met her with kindness anyway,. I asked him how he could do that and he told me, “Her bad mood doesn’t have to change who I am.”
I’ve carried that lesson with me ever since. Some days it’s easier than others. But it’s still the way I want to move through the world.
This photograph was taken nearly twenty years ago at Tahquamenon Falls, on a cold winter day when the footing wasn’t easy. Dad was always willing to come along when I headed out with the camera. I think of it now as a reminder that I’m still walking with his guidance, even now.
#Grief #Kindness #Photography
#WalkingForward #TodaysSmallMoment
#Michigan #UpperPeninsula
I miss my dad! I'm currently sitting in the corner at the airport crying my eyes out and hoping that nobody thinks I'm crazy. I wasn't even originally scheduled to work today & thought picking up a shift might keep my mind off Father's Day but that was dumb. If you love your dad, please let him know today! Happy Father's Day! 😭 #family #grief #holidays
Grief doesn’t always arrive as thoughts. Sometimes it shows up in the body first — a sudden pressure in the chest, a wave that rises out of nowhere.
I’ve learned to meet it with something simple:
a long, quiet exhale.
Just letting that breath out helps release the surge before it overwhelms me.
And in those moments, I run a filmstrip in my head — small, beautiful scenes and memories that give me something steady to hold onto while the wave moves through.
Most of the time, the wave passes. What’s left is a softer, quieter sadness — the kind you can carry.
Grief isn’t just something we think.
It’s something we feel, physically… and sometimes, we just have to let it move through us.
#grief #healing #mentalhealth #emotions #loss #selfcare #landscapephotography
My precious baby grandson lived for 11 short days. We are devastated, but so very thankful we got to stroke his tiny head and say au revoir — till we meet again!
I made some digital posters with words that have brought peace and comfort as I grieve.
They are free if you need them, but if you have the means I’d be grateful if you considered buying one. Proceeds will go towards supporting my son and his wife at this difficult time. https://ko-fi.com/ellane/shop/quotesofcomfort
1. Today was one of the hardest tasks. We brought Dad’s ashes home.
2. I’m grateful I didn’t do it alone.
3. He’ll be laid to rest beside Mom later in spring or summer — his final wish.
Sorrow remembers us when day is done.
It sits in its old chair gently rocking
and singing tenderly in the evening…
—Iain Crichton Smith, “When Day is Done”
published in DEER ON THE HIGH HILLS (Carcanet, 2021)
https://www.carcanet.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?product=9781800170940
#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #20thcentury #IainCrichtonSmith #sorrow #grief #grieving
1. Still had a good day despite having someone answer my call by saying “Go F yourself”. I’d gotten the number correct (I hadn’t dialed wrong). I was trying to contact an estate sale company in another state. A friend suggested that when they saw my number and it wasn’t local, they figured I was a spam caller and that’s why they answered the way that they did. Maybe so, but I’ll never call them again to find out. I mean, really, couldn’t they just let it go to voice mail?
2. The floaters and light flashes have somewhat subsided, which is a relief.
3. This extra time at home while I wait for my follow up appointment with the eye doctor has given me time to slow down a bit and to continue to get my things organized for the upcoming road trip. I’m preparing for a two month stay to start sorting through my dad and brother’s things.
I created this by combining two of my own photographs using digital editing, and I’m honestly so happy with how it turned out. This new image is what I see in my mind’s eye when I think about Dad’s place—and something I’ll carry in my heart forever.
Even though the image is a bit grainy and noisy, it feels true to how memory works—piecing together moments that aren’t always perfectly clear. One photo that I used was of the window, taken early one morning in 2022 when Dad was waiting for me to arrive. The other was a black and white image of his place a couple of weeks after my brother died last fall, as we were getting ready to drive back to Virginia—his truck still sitting in the driveway.
#Grief #Memories #HealingThroughArt #PersonalWork #Photography
Bluets. By Maggie Nelson.
You are recovering from losing the love of your life, so you turn, of course, to considering the color blue. It takes the next four years, but it seems to help.
4 of 5 library cats 🐈 🐈 🐈 🐈 .
@bookstodon #bookstodon #books #reading #memoir #blue #grief #love
