Some goodbyes are quiet. Some are sudden, some come after long, hard journeys. But no matter how they arrive, they all leave us changed.
When we lose someone dear - whether to distance, time, or the stars - it can feel as though the world has shifted beneath our feet. The routines that once anchored us start to feel strange. Moments that once felt full now echo with silence. We find ourselves reaching out to call a name that no longer answers, or smiling at something we wish we could share.
Grief doesn’t follow a map. It moves in waves; gentle one moment, overwhelming the next. Some days are filled with memories, laughter, and a fragile kind of gratitude. Others are heavy with longing, confusion, or anger. Sometimes the waves roll in without warning, knocking the air from our chest. And somewhere in between all of that, we start to learn how to keep going - with love tucked quietly inside us, still present, even in absence.
Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting. It means finding ways to carry the person with you, through stories, through tiny rituals, through the way they shaped your heart. It’s in the songs they loved, the places they adored, the lessons they left behind. They may no longer walk beside you, but the love you shared still echoes through your days, woven into who you are.
If you’re grieving right now, or remembering someone you miss; you are not alone. Your feelings are valid. Your heart is doing its best. There is no right way to grieve. No timeline. No finish line. Just a gradual, tender unfolding as you learn how to live alongside the ache.
It’s okay to feel sad. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to feel completely alone sometimes, even when you’re surrounded by people. These feelings don’t mean you’re doing grief wrong, they mean your love ran deep. They mean you dared to care with your whole heart.
So take your time. Rest when you need to. Light a candle, write a letter, whisper a name into the night. Let yourself remember. Let yourself heal slowly. Because healing doesn’t mean erasing what was lost, it means honouring it, carrying it forward, and allowing yourself to keep living.
Grief never truly leaves us, but with time, we learn to carry it with strength, tenderness, and hope. It becomes a quiet companion - a reminder of all the love that made our hearts ache in the first place.
And in that love, even in sorrow, there is still light. Always.
Stacey x
If this spoke to your heart, you may find comfort in my book Seasons of Comfort and Hope - a collection of gentle words and illustrations about loss, love, and finding light again.