My Story

I am a certified Grief Coach, pursuing an education to become a Marriage and Family Therapist, with a focus on Grief and Trauma. My journey to get here is one I never could have imagined. It has been a journey filled with heartache, sadness, love…and hope.

Life can be like an ongoing puzzle. You are nearly finished with one really big, difficult section, and your cat decides the pieces would be better on the floor. In an instant the puzzle is destroyed. You look at the pieces on the floor and for a minute you aren’t even sure where to begin again. Maybe you have a friend or family member there, ready to help you pick up the pieces. You are grateful because, wow, what a mess…but you have to start over and that can seem overwhelming…this is like grief. 

In the beginning of January 2022, my husband of nearly 20 years died unexpectedly. My daughters and I watched as our “puzzle” fell to the floor and the pieces scattered everywhere. We were lucky enough to have many friends and family there to help us pick up those pieces. It was in the middle of starting that “puzzle” over, when I realized that as my girls and I were receiving help, I was also helping others who were grieving for my husband too.

Grief & support. I believe these two words fit together in the puzzle of our lives. Grief comes in many forms, and each person’s grief journey is different. There is no “fix”, no “cure”, and definitely no timeline for grief…but there is strength in support. When we listen, we support. When we support, we help. When we help…we heal. 

In the Spring of 2023, I was invited to volunteer at a family grief camp with Healing Hearts Connection. Through that opportunity, connections were made between myself and the other volunteers. We were all there to help, we were all there to support the families that would attend that weekend…and we all had one thing in common…we were on a grief journey. Each of us were on our own unique journey…not any two people will ever share the same path…but none of us were alone.

The families that attended that camp left with a bit of hope in their hearts knowing that they were not alone…and I left camp with a calling to support more people during their grieving.

May you remember that you are not alone.