I didn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I began feeling physically unwell.

When I lost both my parents and my spouse within a year, I had a hard time believing I would make it through the loss. Throughout the next year, my sadness developed into a deep depression. I didn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I began feeling physically unwell. 

Then, a friend of mine lost her husband and her child in an accident. I watched her grieve, and then I watched her seemingly move on with her life. Her bereavement process was so different than mine and, while I know that everyone deals with loss differently, she seemed to be doing it with so much grace and positivity. 

So, I asked her about her experience, and she was kind enough to share her grief story with me. She pointed me to a bereavement counselor, who gave me the tools I needed to heal. And now I want to pay it forward.