Hello, my friends! It's been awhile since I've posted here, and truth be told, that's because I really didn't know what to say. I'd actually had several blog posts pre-scheduled to be published over the last couple of weeks, but as COVID-19 unfolded and the situation began to escalate, I chose to pause those from … Continue reading Quarantine Chronicles – Finding the Balance of Hope & Loss
Life as a 'Motherless Daughter' means noting her absence during a lot of big moments. She died in my early twenties, and now as my thirtieth birthday looms at the end of this year, I look back on the most transformative era of my life, and can't help but breathe a sigh of relief. I … Continue reading When I Miss My Mom The Most
"Don't look back. You're not going that way." "You're not going that way." A few years ago, I stumbled across this quote on Instagram. It wasn't the first time I'd ever seen these words, but for some reason, this particular time, it stood out to me in a new way. In true millennial fashion, it … Continue reading Looking Backward While Moving Forward – The Art Of Love and Loss
Merry Christmas Eve! My friends, I am not a poet. By alas, for my last post of #BLOGMAS, I thought I'd share a poem nonetheless. In the spirit of Christmas Eve, here is my Christmas Eve poem, aptly titled: Love and Loss on Christmas Eve. In the quiet moments, on this Christmas Eve, Our hearts aglow … Continue reading Love and Loss on Christmas Eve
"The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear." Buddy the Elf There are few fictional characters I relate to as much as I do Buddy the Elf. I've always been on the rather extreme end of the Christmas spirit, and like him, I will boldly say that smiling truly … Continue reading When Mental Health Gets In The Way Of The Christmas Spirit
“There's no great loss without some small gain.” Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House On The Prairie For a very long time, I thought I was the kind of person who thrived on change. I thought that I took on new adventures with a smile, simply because of who I innately was. I believed that there was … Continue reading Unchosen Change
'Identity' ... It's a concept that goes far beyond ambiguity, yet still plays a pervasive role in the lives we lead, every single day. But as relevant as it may be to each of us, it somehow still escapes the grasp of being 'easy to explain,' especially when it comes to discussing the times when … Continue reading Redefining My Identity Without The Title Of “Daughter”
If my mama were here on earth, today would be her 56th birthday. Of course, she'd insist we pretend it was her 35th, but regardless of her teasing reluctance to admit her age, she wouldn't shy away from celebrating. She certainly didn't on her final birthday here on earth, at least. That birthday was her 50th, … Continue reading Birthdays In Heaven
On May 18th, 2019 I married the love of my life and my very best friend. The day was blissfully perfect and everything we'd been working towards throughout our eighteen month engagement. Of course, as my readers will know, despite it being the best day ever, there was one person missing who undeniably should have been … Continue reading My Wedding Day + The Loss Of My Mom
Last summer, I had the privilege of writing a guest post over on The Unvirtuous Abbey Click Here To Read It Now In this post, I wrote about my experience of leaning into grief, and how I choose to immerse myself within and embrace every aspect of the loss experience. This has been an incredibly … Continue reading Throwback Thursday – The Unvirtuous Abbey: Leaning Into Grief
Heather Jane 