Have you ever tried to put a puzzle together but there is a piece or two missing; never to be found? Grief is like a puzzle and it often shows up with missing pieces that can’t be replaced or found.

Loss shifts everything and the pieces of life that were familiar get rearranged and are tossed around. The grief that follows is messy. It cracks hearts wide open and a million broken pieces lay scattered on the ground.

It’s hard to make sense of anything and especially in the early days of grief. But it’s also important to remember that grief doesn’t completely go away and it can show up months and years later. Grief is the hearts way of staying connected to love.

The path of grief is unpredictable and it can feel like you are picking through the wreckage trying to recover anything that feels familiar as you try to put your life back together again. But it’s not that easy.

Loss and grief change everything and while you can find pieces of yourself and your life, it’s common to feel like the pieces don’t fit together in the same way as before. And sometimes, there are pieces that are forever lost and will never be found again. That’s scary and a difficult part of grief to navigate and accept.

Similar to trying to put a puzzle back together with missing pieces, putting a life back together while carrying grief can feel messy, confusing and incredibly overwhelming. It’s frustrating when everything is in disarray and there are pieces you miss but can’t find.

I get it. Nothing about grief is easy and while you may not be able to find or recover some of the missing pieces of your old life, I want you to know that while different, it’s possible to live a good life while integrating the grief you have been forced to carry.

Be patient with yourself as you try to rebuild and sift through the pieces of what was and what will be. You don’t have to figure everything out all at once. There’s no rushing through grief and while it’s a part of you, the raw edges of all the broken and scattered pieces can soften and life won’t always feel as heavy as it does right now.

You are a warrior even if you don’t feel like one and it’s okay to have days when everything feels heavy and hard.

Grief is like a puzzle and as hard as it is, you will learn to move forward while holding space for it. You will learn to live inside of your grief missing pieces and all.

And, when you’re ready it’s possible to uncover and discover pieces of joy and happiness alongside your grief.

I’m sending so much love and compassion every single day. Your grief matters. Always.

Michele