The Grieving Light

05/23/2026

This weekend isn't just about savoring that extra day off or basking in the joy of lake time and incredible bbq, it's also a poignant reminder to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. As we revel in cherished moments with loved ones, let's take a heartfelt moment to think of those families who are reminded of their loss, and the bittersweet meaning of today. 🫶🏻🫶🏻

05/10/2026

Mother’s Day is always a hard one for me. I’m grateful I get to be a momma but some days I want my mom. I’m thankful God has put some amazing women in my life to take me under their wings. I pray that today, even in the midst of your grief and however that may look, you have a blessed day and know you’re loved. ❤️‍🩹

04/29/2026

04/27/2026

parent loss 🤍

04/14/2026

You will grieve. And grieve. And grieve again.

Some days it will feel like you’ve finally come up for air, like you’re steady, strong, able to carry it. And then, without warning, you’ll slip back under. Waves of sadness. Random memories. The quiet depressions that sit heavy on your chest. Let it all run its course. Don’t rush it. Don’t silence it.

Your mind will replay everything, the ways you’ve lost them, the small details no one else would understand. The sound of their laugh. The warmth of their hug. Even the scent that once felt so familiar. Don’t push those memories away. Feel them. Let them pass through you.

Because one day, your mind will soften. It will grow quiet, even if just for a moment. And in that quiet, you’ll realise something beautiful: the love you shared is still here. It’s present. It’s alive in you.

What connected you was never confined to a body. It was never limited by time. Love doesn’t end where life does. It transcends it.

You may have to discover that truth in your own time. But when you do, you’ll understand — the love remains. Always.
Grief & Grace -

04/05/2026

Easter is often spoken about as a time of hope, renewal, and new beginnings.

But when you’re grieving, those words can feel distant, almost like they belong to someone else’s life, and not yours.

The world starts to look a little brighter this time of year. The days stretch out a bit longer and people begin talking about fresh starts and moving forward. And inside, you may be thinking, “how am I supposed to feel any of that when someone I love is missing from it all?”

Here’s the thing…grief doesn’t follow the seasons.

It doesn’t ease just because spring has arrived. In some ways, days like Easter can make the absence feel even worse. Because you remember what these days used to look like. The traditions, the meals, the way their presence filled the room in ways you didn’t fully notice until it was gone.

Now there’s a space where they used to be, and it can feel heavier than ever, even in a season that’s supposed to feel light.

You might find yourself going through the motions, sitting at the table, hearing laughter around you, and yet feeling like you’re somewhere else entirely. Or maybe you’ve stepped away from it this year because it just feels like too much.

Either way, there’s no right or wrong way to move through a day like this. Easter, like every meaningful day after loss, changes. It becomes something different than it once was, a day where joy and sorrow can exist side by side, where memories can bring both comfort and pain in the very same moment.

You might smile at something and then feel the weight of their absence just seconds later. And that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. It means you’re carrying love. And love doesn’t disappear just because someone’s gone. It finds new places to live in the way you still think of them without even trying.

It’s still there…even when everything else feels different.

So if Easter feels heavy this year, if it doesn’t look or feel the way it used to, if you’re just trying to make it through the day, that’s enough. You don’t have to force yourself to feel hopeful. You don’t have to celebrate in ways that no longer feel right.

You’re allowed to take this day as it comes, one moment at a time, honoring both what was and what is.

And if you can, maybe find one small way to feel close to them. Not as a way of letting go, but as a way of holding on in a way that fits who you are now.

Because even here in the middle of grief…love still exists.

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

04/05/2026

Hope everyone had a blessed day ❤️

04/05/2026

Because when you lose a child
you don’t just grieve them once.

You grieve them in pieces.

In the morning when you wake up.

In the afternoon when something reminds you of them.

In the evening when the house grows quiet.

And every night
when you realize
you survived another day without them. Grieving Parents

03/20/2026

Grief doesn't just show up on anniversaries and holidays. It sneaks up on random Tuesday afternoons. You're fine.
You're going about your day. And then a song comes on. Or you smell something familiar. Or you pass the restaurant you used to go to. And suddenly you're crying in the grocery store parking lot wondering why it still hurts this much.
That's grief. It doesn't follow a schedule. It doesn't get smaller with time. You just get better at carrying it. Some days it's a whisper. Some days it's a scream. And both are okay.
You're not broken. You're human.
Grief is simply just love with nowhere to go. It is okay if you don't know how to hold it some days. By: Jacqueline Whitney

www.stephysplace.org

03/18/2026

What they don’t warn you about … how even years later it can come in waves and still affect you so much. Dad passed in 2017 but this past week it feels so real/recent. I miss him. A lot. I want to feel his hug, hear his laugh, ask questions and hear his words of wisdom. Time doesn’t make the pain go away… sometimes it’s just less often

02/12/2026