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One holiday down, and more still ahead.  “Thank goodness Thanksgiving is over,”  some of us say. For many who are grieving, this season becomes something to endure rather than enjoy. The bright celebrations around us can make our sorrow feel even heavier, intensifying the ache of gratitude we’re “supposed” to feel. And the quick leap into the Christmas spirit—the lights, the cheer, the insistence on joy—can feel impossibly out of reach. Grief heightens everything—old wounds,

This week, from miles away, I joined via Facebook Live in the funeral service for Meshack Yahani Eliah—a man I’d only met a handful of times. I cried along with his family and friends, mourning as I joined in prayerful songs sung in a language I do not speak or understand. I met Meshack perhaps five times over about fifteen years of visits to Chaa Creek in Belize. It’s fair to say we didn’t know each other well. He was a nature guide there, and if I was lucky, I might have jo

Honoring Grief's Sacred Rhythm.   As winter comes and daylight dims, the call inward grows strong. Yet, as the holidays approach, our culture beckons us outward. For those of us who have lost a loved one, this time of year can bring a heightened alertness. Our nervous systems begin preparing for what we know will amplify our pain. These alerts can show up in countless ways—sometimes subtle, sometimes overwhelming, and often without our full awareness. I recently came upon wor

I’ve never been a big fan of Halloween. The monsters, skeletons, and witches scare me, and I dislike seeing our children bombarded with candy and sugar. But that’s the commercialism. I was missing the deeper point.   Lisa, who is guiding our upcoming Sacred Journey With Grief Retreat (February 8-15, 2026) with Jess and me, has helped me to see this season differently. Her words below have inspired a more meaningful perspective.   The change in seasons is palpable. The harvest

In some ways the more time passes after the death of a loved one, the harder things become. The rituals begin to fade. People’s expectations shift. And even if we believe our loved ones are “well” in spirit, the newness of that understanding begins to fade. As time moves on, friends and family often feel they shouldn’t bring it up . But  it  is always up for those left behind.   I remembered one family gathering over a holiday break sometime after my son Graham’s death. Thou

"Enlightenment is ineffable. The closest we can come to that state of being is  when we are living in truth and living in love." Sasha B.  One of my favorite yoga teachers recently spoke the above words that landed deeply. It had never occurred to me until that moment that deep, real, raw grief is enlightenment. When we live in raw grief, we live in truth. When we grieve deeply, we are living in love. It is only because of the depth of that love that we grieve at all. Authent

"Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation." ~ Rumi. Grief needs witness. Grief needs ritual. Grief needs outlets—again and again, in many forms, across time. In Western culture, a Celebration of Life or funeral service can bring deep comfort. Yet for many, those moments arrive while we are still in shock, utterly depleted from planning and decision-making. And too often, that is w

In February of 2025, just four years following my son Graham’s transition to the other side, I was led by my friend Heather to watch the documentary “Life with Ghosts.” Heather was, not so coincidentally, the same friend who led me to psychic-medium Kelle Sutliff, after weeks of “not knowing,” when Graham went missing on New Year’s Day in 2021. Kelle was the psychic through whom Graham worked to lead us to find his body 38 days after his death on New Year’s Day. His communica