Grief is hard. It can hit you out of nowhere like a ton of bricks. It doesn't care if you are home alone or in the middle of a grocery store. Something triggers it and BOOM… there it is.

I’ve had my share of events that have brought tremendous grief. The loss of my father at 30 years old and the loss of my mother only 7 short years later. These losses were monumental especially with how close I was to my parents and being an only child. While still grieving I had to muster up enough strength to pack up my family's belongings into boxes and sell my childhood home. My childhood memories are simply that, just memories and whatever fits in those cardboard boxes.

But I’ve learned a lot about grief through all this:

1- The world keeps spinning. Bills are still due, appointments are still scheduled, kids still have homework and life keeps going. Your world may have stopped, but everyone else’s didn’t. Somehow you have to keep going.

2 - Grief stays with you. It follows you forever and becomes a part of who you are. Let it. Learn from it. Let it lead you not break you.

3 - Grief can break you down and turn you into someone you don’t recognize. You can get so wrapped up in it that you forget who you are. In those moments it's your passing angels that will help guide you back to where you were meant to be. Let these angels help you and guide you. They truly are angels on Earth.

And remember… don’t forget to give yourself grace. Allow yourself to grieve. It hurts to go through something so painful and you need a moment to catch your breath. It’s okay to stop and take a moment. But after that moment has passed, you have to push. Hard. Sometimes you have to push harder than you have ever had to push because you still hurt so freaking bad. But in reality, the world keeps spinning. You will get through the hard. And you will be so much stronger when you come out of it. Lean on those closest to you and accept help and comfort. It helps the process. And finally remember, this too shall pass.