Grief is a journey that is not linear yet we can heal.

My beloved 22 year-old daughter Natasha died in a tragic car accident in 2015. It has taken a few years to say and write the words, “my daughter died“. I realized I needed to be fully present to my feelings of grief if I was going to fully integrate the love and the pain to begin healing.

an ocean of tears.
Nothing could prepare me for the death of my beautiful daughter Natasha, and this year marks the 10-year Sad Anniversary of her passing. I have cried an ocean of tears since that day, and yet, despite the pain, I know that love is forever. I believe that spiritually, there is a River of Grief that flows into the Ocean of Love, and it is this that connects us.

Natasha is here with me. I carry her with me, wherever I go, whatever I do, always, she is my guiding light. I will share how cultivating meaningful connections with other grievers is one of my most treasured pieces in my grief pilgrimage, and has inspired my personal growth, courage and resilience.

My life’s work is dedicated in honour of her ♡

I have learned that by holding onto your precious memories so tightly, you are keeping yourself stuck and living in the past. The present no longer exists. Time stands still … you are yearning for your life before. I realize now that I chose to be alone with my grief, it felt strange to me, sharing something so precious, how could anyone ever understand the depth of my pain.

With the softening of time, I became compassionate towards myself and my emotional state.

With the softening of time, I became curious and less judgmental towards my feelings of blame and guilt.

With the softening of time, I became emotionally honest with myself in order to accept and embrace the truth, and that was that my daughter died.

It takes courage to share your grief, to share your heart+story and your pain, sometimes it takes courage just to show up each day.

There is a spiritual alchemy to transmute grief and pain into meaning. It begins with taking as much time and space for yourself to fully grieve, with the alchemical process being our brave journey inward in search of understanding, a deeper communion with yourself and with the Divine, often taking a lifetime and beyond.

I am often asked in my grief support groups, “How long will I grieve?“, and my answer is, “How long will you love?“. This sentiment is beautifully expanded below in a quote by one of my teachers, David Kessler, and his late mentor Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.

The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to.
~ Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler

My role as a Certified Grief Educator is to provide you with the highest level of compassionate presence and holistic support, sharing with you the tools and practices for times when courage is not enough, when you feel fragile, when you feel stuck and uncertain, when you feel completely overcome by grief in what can feel like an eternal darkness, and at times when you may feel unable to breathe.

I know it takes courage to take the next step in your healing journey.

Fear is a normal and natural feeling and can keep us trapped in our suffering unless we take action with a small step forward to heal our hearts.

I also know it takes a tremendous amount of trust to open your heart and move beyond the heartache of your loss.

To even want to move forward when you are in grief can feel like a betrayal.

I have learned that there is hope, you can transmute your grief and pain into meaning.

With the softening of time, you will create a beautiful life that honours the beautiful light in your beloved ♡