|  Blog Post   |  Any grief triggers all grief

Any grief triggers all grief

Last night I asked Chad what he was scrolling while we were watching our nightly funny show.

??? ?? ???? ??? ????? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?????.

Well, fuck.

We are getting close to having to let Bosco go. Dementia is a beast, and the thought of him forgetting who we are before we say goodbye is unbearable.

Today, the grief hit me like a ton of bricks when I made a vet appointment to discuss end of life planning with his team.

The catch in your voice.
The tears stinging.
The turn of your belly

All familiar symptoms of grief.
Like old friends coming to visit to remind me how much I’ve loved.

Grief is the evidence that we were courageous enough to love.

And whether it is grief around a dream, a person, a relationship, an expectation, what could have been, or three babies and traditional motherhood, grief leaves you marked forever with the scars of love.

It never gets better.
It simply, and oh so complicatedly, gets different.

It hurts ??? it is holy.

As this ache grows, threatening to steal my very breath, especially the closer we get to his last day, I will hold onto, remember, and trust that love is always worth it.

Author:

Justine is a Licensed Professional Counselor with more than 25 years of experience in traditional mental health and personal and professional development. Justine has been certified in the work of Dr. Brené Brown for ten years. Justine is the author of eleven books, including five Amazon bestsellers covering subjects such as infertility, faith, and grief. She has been honored to do two TEDx Talks, The Permission of the And and The Donut Effect. She travels nationally and presents virtually to global audiences delivering keynotes, workshops, retreats, and trainings on topics such as leadership, courage, resilience, mental health, preventing and coping with burnout, and courageous and curious conversation, especially in creating cultures of belonging and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Justine lives in St. Louis with her husband Chad, their three dogs, and for four months of the year hundreds of monarch and swallowtail butterflies.

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