This standalone verse you might've seen circling the internet: I have not heard your voice in years, but my heart has conversations with you every day. I call it Heart Conversations, an ode to the intimate dialogue that carries on after someone we love dies. I thought it time to revisit this poem and that conversation.

“The word blessing evokes a sense of warmth and protection; it suggests that no life is alone or unreachable.” As this Irish poet shows us, a blessing for transitions (of many kinds) can hold us, guide us, and show us that we don't have to go it alone. We are meant to help and be helped along the way.

This is a prayer for peace for all of us who've known the power of grief and the balm of friendship, who've been touched by the hands of despair but who still choose life. Wherever you are now -- wherever you've been and wherever you're going next -- may you open your heart to the freedom that's still available to you, whatever it is you decide that freedom means for you.

Losing a loved one to suicide shapes your life forever. Even knowing someone who’s lost someone to suicide can change your life. Suicide loss presents a unique kind of grief, complicated by unanswered questions, stigma from those who don’t understand, and sometimes immense guilt. It’s uncomfortable to talk about, which is why we should. Today, for me, talking about suicide loss means writing a prayer for those who have survived it.

If celebrating the holidays after loss is something you either struggle with or look forward to, here are a few ideas on how you can turn this into a season of moments dedicated to the beauty you’ve found because of the people you so miss. This season especially can be a devotion to the lives who’ve gone before your own. It can be a window into the love and bond you still share. A time to celebrate being alive is also a time to celebrate their lifetime.

With everything that's happened this year, we could use some prayers for peace. We could do with some fresh air and some ancient wisdom: a little perspective. With respect for the people who came before us, whose words and ways continue to shine light on the mountains and valleys of life, these Native American prayers.

A shattered heart needs to be held together, and prayer is an age-old ritual that can heal and mend the spirit like nothing else can, or when nothing else can. However you pray, even if you don't, I hope these quotes about prayer inspire you to open your heart, and to consider that, itself, a form of prayer.

Every now and then, you need someone to tell you that they believe in you. You need to know you're in someone's thoughts, in their prayers and in their heart. It's the knowledge that you're not alone in your struggles and in your hopes, and sometimes that's all you need to keep going.

There are a million ways to pray, many roads we could take that would lead to the same place. There's one thing I feel to be true about it: no matter how you pray or what you pray for, prayer is a lot like love. Above all else, I hope this poem inspires how you love. In the end, it's all about how we've loved, isn't it?