|  Blog Post   |  To grieve hard means that we have loved hard.
Courage work graphic

To grieve hard means that we have loved hard.

For me, so much of loving, living, and leading with courage means we have to do our grief work.

Grief shows up in so many ways when we really do the work:
• They didn’t turn out to be who you wanted them to be, or they don’t have what you need… grief.
• Setting boundaries and relationships changing… grief.
• Forgiveness work… grief.
• When you can’t unknow what you know now, but sometimes long for how it used to be… grief.
• They’re gone… grief.
• The dream is different or dead… grief.
• You are different… grief.

Any grief triggers all grief.
It doesn’t get better; it just gets different.
Our grief never shrinks; instead, our life, healing, and joy grow bigger around it.

To grieve hard means that we have loved hard.
And loving hard is something I will never, ever regret. <3

Author:

A Licensed Professional Counselor, Justine Froelker has over 25 years of experience in mental health, personal growth, and professional development. For eleven years, she was certified in Dr. Brené Brown’s work on vulnerability, courage, and empathy. Justine now shares her own curriculum, Courage is Built Here™. This transformative program empowers individuals to live and lead with self-awareness, authenticity, and resilience, building a foundation for courage-centered leadership. In addition to writing her blog since 2013, Justine is an accomplished author of twelve books—including five Amazon bestsellers—Justine has written across genres, from children’s books to in-depth explorations of infertility, faith, grief, and leadership. She has delivered two TEDx Talks, The Permission of the And and The Donut Effect, which highlight her unique perspective on navigating life’s complexities with grace. Justine is a sought-after speaker who travels nationally and presents virtually to global audiences, delivering keynotes, workshops, retreats, and trainings on topics such as leadership, resilience, mental health, coping with burnout, courageous and curious conversations, and fostering cultures of inclusion and belonging. Justine lives in St. Louis with her husband Chad and their two dogs, Gertie and Winston. You’ll often find her volunteering at Wild Bird Rehabilitation—supporting the medical team and feeding hundreds of tiny, hungry babies during baby bird season. And during butterfly season, her home comes alive with the flutter of wings as she raises hundreds of monarch and swallowtail butterflies.

Comments:

  • February 23, 2025
    Purple Bloom

    Nice post! The phrase “to grieve hard means we have been loved hard” suggests that the depth of grief we experience is directly tied to the depth of love we’ve experienced. It’s a reminder that intense pain from loss is a reflection of the richness of the connection we had with someone or something. The more deeply we invest our hearts, the more we stand to lose when it’s gone, but that also signifies how truly special that relationship was.
    In a way, it’s comforting because it puts the hurt into perspective: grief, though painful, is proof that we have allowed ourselves to be vulnerable and open to love. When finding right words to express pain is difficult, one can take refer to quotes on https://soinspiring.com/grief-quotes-short/ and make the journey easy.

    reply

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