~Kim Libertini There is this thing about grief. It is so different based on who you lost and how you lost them. Yet there are common threads woven into each loss that connect this community of aching hearts. This sentiment was underscored during my recent guest-host in Circles Audio Chat Room. As the Co-founder of … Continue reading Aching Hearts Survive Sadness Together
~Kim Libertini The holidays roll in and I can feel the density of the air increase. My body desperately wants to recoil. It’s an odd year. In the language of divorce this is how I monitor my level of holiday disengagement. On odd years my ex has the kids. No kids means less holiday hoopla. … Continue reading I Am Proof
~Kim Libertini I felt like it needed a name. For years I have called it “The Abyss.” Appropriately, the abyss is defined as a bottomless pit. In times when my heart has been shattered and my mind and body are overwhelmed with pain I find myself there. It’s the place I go to when the … Continue reading The Abyss and Back
~Kim Libertini Huntington Bay feeds directly into the Long Island Sound. I live here. Salty air, beaches, and marinas each add to the beauty of this town. As summer sets in, the waters of Long Island’s north shore are full of life. Boats reflect the vibrant energy of the long summer days and serve as … Continue reading Returning to Life
~Kim Libertini I walked into the kitchen as my youngest son, now eleven, was climbing on the counter to reach the upper cabinets. He quickly smiled and said, “What happened to those coconut bowls we had? Have you seen them?” The mention of those bowls take me back to shopping in the Vietnamese market for … Continue reading Souvenirs of the Past
~Kim Libertini Photo by Nathalie Désirée Mottet on Unsplash The change of season was quick this year. Overnight, I woke to crisp cold air and the smell of fallen leaves. The hours of daylight are decreasing. I feel it. Fall reminds me of home. A small town nestled in the Hudson River Valley of New … Continue reading Triggers of Loss
~Kim Libertini Scientific and mathematical by nature, my mind feels safe with quantifiable metrics used to measure progress. I need clear and concrete boxes to check that help me to categorize my level of success. This holds true for both my personal and professional life. This is part of why I struggled so much when … Continue reading Measuring Progress
Photo by Nadine Shaabana on Unsplash ~Kim Libertini Milestones of life are commonly celebrated in increments of five. I am not sure the same can be said for the years after loss. It’s been five years. As I say those words, my nose starts to sting, my eyes well with tears and it feels like my breath … Continue reading The Five Year Mark
Go to the trees, says my inner voice. Go to where nature’s calm thrums louder than human anxiety. Sidle up to bark, birds, flowers and water. Align with natural rhythms as a reminder that not everything has changed. This is what I keep hearing. And so that’s where my kids and I have been since … Continue reading In Stillness Together, Yet Apart
Photo by DeMorris Byrd on Unsplash ~Kim Libertini I had just escaped for a few days on a mid-winter getaway. As I sat at the hotel bar on the first evening, I chatted with a couple from Australia. It didn’t take long before our conversation was joined by the bartender and a Connecticut man, as we all exchanged … Continue reading Carrying Grief
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