Imagine you are walking through the woods. The sound of the leaves rustles as a light breeze moves through. You feel the firm yet occasionally uneven ground below your feet. The warmth of the sun filters through the canopy above you. Now imagine being on that same walk after a large boulder is strapped to your back. The rock is huge. It is heavy. Its edges are rough. It rubs and chafes against the skin of your back until it is raw. No matter how you shift it, the heavy stone is just that…heavy.

Moving forward. A phrase that one in grief hears over and over as well-meaning individuals around them try to offer words of encouragement. That saying can be painful though. We dig our heels in to try to prevent the world at large from continuing on, in an attempt to hold onto those we so desperately love. Part of giving ourselves permission to release that grip comes from trying to figure out how to carry your loved one along with you as the universe drags you forward.

Grief and The Pandemic I remember vividly. It was Thursday evening, March 12th 2020. The World Health Organization had revealed that we were in the midst of a pandemic and our politicians were announcing decisions to shut down our society as we knew it. My kids were at hockey practice so I headed to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things. I was confronted by the chaos of shoppers desperately stocking up for an unknown future.

There is something comforting about being with others who “get it”. Grief comes with its own culture, it’s own language, it’s own unique depth of emotions. To be able to share your story and emotions with those who walk the grief road beside and ahead of you is often helpful with the sense of loneliness that can be so overwhelming at times…