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.

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I think it’s important to fall in love with the world as it is before you set out to make a difference in it. One of the best ways to do that is through the language you use every day. These mantras can be part of your meditations, but more powerful than that — they can be part of your everyday life. They can help you think in new ways, can bring you back to your own heartbeat on a stressful day. It's a practice of honoring the world around you and within.

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The extent of our grief is a measure of our love, and its presence in our lives isn’t something to be shunned or swept under the rug. This is the idea that grief is not bad nor is it necessarily negative. In truth, it's a witness to love. Seen in a certain light, even grief has its gifts and its beauty. Continue reading

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.

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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.

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You’ve loved, and you’ve lost. You have carried what couldn’t be fixed. You’re still learning the meaning of forgiveness. You're in good company here. Which leads me to share this poem with you, called "The Unbroken." That's how I like to think of you and I.

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Life after the most difficult things isn't easy, but I’d rather live one lifetime like that — heartbreak, love, heartbreak, love — than a thousand lifetimes with my heart closed, feeling nothing at all. Read this letter if you need inspiration for how you live your "life after."

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This poem is another take on the concept of healing "from" trauma. Whether it's loss or illness or some other excruciating pain you've endured, the truth is that some kinds of pain don't ever go away. You can't go back to the life you had before. You can't go back to "normal" - but you *can* lay claim to your new life.

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Losing someone is an experience that reduces all others to dust. When it comes to healing from that, support comes in all forms. Friends, strangers. Letters, lyrics. Movement, stillness. The words you speak, even, can be part of your support system. It's why I wrote these affirmations. To give you ideas, to illuminate the shadow their death laid on your future.

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This poem you're about to read is what inspired me to say: greet every experience like a chance or a teacher, if not a friend. Even sorrow has its light, beautiful things grow out of the worst times. Just ask anyone who's known loss, and who's taken that pain and used it for their own betterment, or in service to others.

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