Emily Racette VA & Grief Writer Living Alongside Grief: Post 32 I don’t think loss is something you heal froM I’ve heard the word “healing” used a lot when it comes to grief. And I understand why people use it. It sounds hopeful. It sounds like something is moving forward. Like eventually things will feel better or go back to normal in some way. But if I’m being honest, that word has never really sat right with me. Because when I think of healing, I think of something that eventually returns...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Emily Racette Virtual Services Heart 2 Help Circle: Post 31 The Subtle Ways Grief Changes How You See the World There are the loud parts of loss — the shock, the tears, the moment everything changes. And then there are the quieter parts. The ones that don’t arrive all at once. The ones you notice later, in the middle of everyday life. The way certain things land heavier than they used to. The way other things stop feeling as important. The way you move through familiar places and feel...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Emily Racette Virtual Services Heart 2 Help Circle: Post 30 When Nothing Is Wrong, But You Still Don’t Feel Okay There’s a part of grief that’s hard to talk about — not because it’s too intense, but because it’s subtle. It’s the grief that shows up when nothing specific is wrong. When life looks stable. When there’s no obvious reason for the extra heaviness. And yet even in these "quieter moments" — you still don’t feel okay. February often carries this kind of emotional turmoil. The urgency...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Emily Racette Virtual Services Heart 2 Help Circle: Post 29 The Tiredness That Arrives After Everything Slows Down January often arrives quietly, but it doesn’t feel light. After the noise fades — the gatherings, the expectations, the constant movement — there’s a kind of emotional settling that happens. Not relief exactly. More like the moment when everything you’ve been carrying finally has room to actually be felt. What surprises many people is how tired they are once things slow down. Not...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Emily Racette Virtual Services Heart 2 Help Circle: Post 28 Another Year without Them The turning of a new year carries a weight that’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived it. For many, New Year’s is framed as a reset - a fresh start, a clean slate. But when you’re grieving, the calendar change can feel more like an awful reminder than a new beginning. Another year without your person. Another reminder that time keeps moving, even when part of your life feels permanently paused. There’s...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Emily Racette Virtual Services Heart 2 Help Circle: Post 27 When Holiday Traditions Carry Grief There’s no way around it - traditions change after loss. Some feel unbearable - too closely tied to the person who’s gone. Others suddenly feel sacred, even if they once felt ordinary. And some sit somewhere in between, heavy with memory but still hard to let go of. Christmas traditions often hold more than we realize, especially when we are grieving. They carry voices, routines, inside jokes,...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Emily Racette Virtual Services Heart 2 Help Circle: Post 26 When Christmas Keeps Coming Without Them Christmas has a way of continuing on, whether you’re ready or not. The lights still go up. The music still plays. People still gather, laugh, and talk about plans. From the outside, everything looks familiar - sometimes even comforting. But when you’re grieving, there’s a quiet disconnect that settles in. You’re present, but not fully. Participating, but carrying something heavy just beneath...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Emily Racette Virtual Services Heart 2 Help Circle: Post 25 Permission to Grieve Your Own Way If you've ever felt the sting of a well-meaning but totally frustrating question like, "Aren't you moving on yet?" or felt the silent, heavy pressure to "get back to normal," then you know one of the cruelest ironies of loss. As if the raw, crushing weight of grief itself isn't enough, we are often forced to contend with external judgment - a painful, subtle implication that we are handling our...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Emily Racette Virtual Services Heart 2 Help Circle: Post 24 The Gift of Grace: How to Navigate Gratitude When You’re Grieving The world often demands a performance of gratitude especially during the holiday season. We are told to count our blessings, list our abundance, and show up to the holiday with a full heart. But what happens when your heart feels completely broken by loss? What if the abundance you’re supposed to be celebrating only highlights the gaping hole left by this loss? This is...
6 months ago • 1 min read