Grief is a journey that passes only through time, but through the raw and shifting landscape of the heart. When a loved one is gone, it can feel as though the world has cracked open, leaving unfamiliar, trembling ground.
A mother who recently lost her 30-year-old daughter said through tears, “But you’re all going home tomorrow, and I’ll be left alone without my baby-girl.” Anyone who has loved deeply and lost can feel the weight behind those words. A reflection of sorrow and ache that needs no explanation.
At least someone who loses a spouse has a name — widow or widower. A person who loses their child is still a mom or dad suffering unimaginable pain. Their world has changed forever, and while others can return to their lives, this mom must find a way to live in a world her daughter no longer inhabits.
There’s no easy roadmap through grief. It’s not a straight line or a checklist. Grief is a winding journey that unfolds at its own pace, sometimes moving slowly, crashing, or pausing in silence. Unbearable, especially in the early days, when each breath or sunrise feels like a betrayal to the one you lost.
The first month is often the most brutal. The shock is still fresh with everything being a reminder. It’s a haze of disbelief and raw, overwhelming pain. But slowly things will begin to shift. The sharp edges of sorrow smooth, not because the loss is any less devastating, but because our hearts start learning how to hold it.
Similar to childbirth, where excruciating pain fills the moment, with time, the body and the spirit begin to heal. Grief never disappears entirely, but evolves. It becomes less of a wound and more of a scar that is permanent, visible, and part of who we are.
As the months and years pass, the best memories begin to percolate to the surface. The sound of their voice, the sparkle in their eye, their quirks, the things they loved. These moments will eventually shine brighter than the pain. In remembering, we begin to feel them again in a way that still connects us.
Grief teaches us to live one day at a time. Some days will be heavier than others. Some may feel impossible. But mornings will come when the sun rises and you notice its warmth again. There will be laughter that sneaks in when you least expect it. There will be moments when you feel your loved one close, not in body, but in spirit, memory, and in the legacy of love they left behind.
If you’re grieving, be gentle with yourself. Don’t rush the process. Don’t compare your journey to others’. And don’t lose hope.
Because even in the darkest valleys, hope persists, not in denying the pain, but in honoring it. Not in forgetting, but in remembering with love. Not in being the same as before, but in discovering strength you never knew you had.
You’re not alone. While nothing will ever replace what was lost, life in its slow, quiet, and stubborn way, will find a way to bloom around the absence.
One day at a time. One breath at a time. Keep going.
More tomorrow.
