My heart is so full right now. My son is going to prom with his girlfriend, and I’m so proud of the young man he’s becoming. But if I’m being honest… there’s a part of me that’s hurting too. Because I can’t pick up the phone and call his daddy. All I can do is show up, love him the best I know how, and take him to the cemetery dressed in his suit so his daddy can see him too… and that part of this just breaks me. This is real life. There’s no first aid kit for moments like this. first prom, first girlfriend, first date… all of it at once. It’s gonna be an emotional week, but I’ll get through it Sending love and light to everyone who’s going through some first themselves🥺💞

I was honored to be featured as a guest on the HealWithIn Podcast, ranked among the top 5% of podcasts globally. I hope this interview offers meaningful insight into understanding your own grief. https://youtu.be/IRtkCPOD0tU

Three months today. Haven’t been doing very well for the past few days. This time next week we will be spreading her ashes. I told my sister-in-law (Kim’s sister) that I was stuck on the grief side of TikTok. She told me maybe I should get off of grief TikTok (in a loving way). I don’t know how to tell her that it helps to know I’m not alone in this. This club that none of us want to belong to.

We have set a date to spread Kim’s ashes, April 18th. It seems really soon (3 months), but Kim’s parents are not in good shape (they are elderly and both have cancer). She wanted her ashes spread at her parent’s property where she grew up. We will have to take side-by-side 4x4s to get to the spot. Her mom has been a little upset about the plan. She says she doesn’t want Kim “down there” by the creek. So I got her a small hand carved wooden urn. It won’t hold much, but it is more to comfort her than anything. I also got one for me. The organ transplant company gave us some small vials with Kim’s EKG in it. So I am putting a small amount in those for our daughter, grandkids and her sister. I asked if they wanted a small urn and they said no. Our grandson, 8, wants to help spread the ashes. I don’t think our granddaughter, 4, will but we will ask her that day. I also got myself a necklace that I can put a micro amount in. The point of this long thread is that it feels final. I talk to her all the time. I don’t want to lose that.

Yesterday, in traffic, I saw a few grief-related things & wanted to share. I’m always looking for ways to honor my person, and others are doing this too. Living in, and driving in, a nearly 100% grief illiterate society, this was refreshing to see. Andrea recently stated that 1 in 4 in America 🇺🇸 are experiencing deep grief in one form or another. T is exactly right, we no longer see hursts in traffic, and society today has no outlet really. Related to grief & loss, it’s all a cover-up these days. Here’s some vehicular evidence that suggests even though society today looks away 👀 from death & grief, it sure doesn’t mean that death & grief doesn’t exist. First is the self explanatory bumper sticker and a shout-out for compassion in congested traffic, then the personalized license plate with a loved one’s date, then a pizza truck soliciting a honk if you are pizza. I honked because on some grief-stricken days, I’m not sure WHAT I am. I could easily be a slice of pizza 🍕! Honk! Honk! 🤭 🕷️