~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
I’m a word nerd. I love the sound of words and how the varying combinations of consonants and vowels have unique and specific meaning. But sometimes English fails me. I’m left scrounging for a concept or word that doesn’t exist. For example, there’s no word to describe sunlight sparkling on the ocean. There’s no word … Continue reading Mother and Father-Out-Law
When the world is spinning too fast and I can’t seem to catch my breath, I come here. It is my place. I’ve found sanity, solace and sensibility here. I have bawled, released shrieks of excitement, cries of pain and grappled with life’s unfairness here. This is the place where I let it all go. … Continue reading My Place
Hanging on my office wall is a hand-written proclamation from a dear friend, “As the amount of sh*t increases so must the level of nurturing you need.” It’s a cheeky and brightly illustrated reminder that life is hard. The problems and tasks feel relentless, at times. Holding it all together is exhausting. And, a little … Continue reading Rest Is Best
~Kim Libertini~ It was a casual acknowledgement but one that triggered an epic realization. The woman who said it was only an acquaintance. Walking in a hall, she headed toward me and stopped. “You look good,” she said. “I don’t know what is different about you, but you really look good.” There it was. An … Continue reading The Lookback
My mom lifted her shirt and asked me to look at her ribs. I was on the couch. She sat in her wheelchair. “It hurts,” she said, “Can you see anything?” Leaning closer I searched where her fingers pointed. There was a patch of skin tinted the purple of a fading bruise. Skin I’d known … Continue reading Facing the Grim Reaper
The rain came and went in a burst, and yet the creek remained high and frothing from the summer downpour. The normally clear water where people tube all summer long had turned brown and churning. Stuck in the middle of the gushing river was a large rock with water swirling around and over its smooth … Continue reading Rough Times Can Make You Smoother
You know that moment when you’re raw and hurting, and someone says, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”? You’ve been there. I’ve been there. Hearing those words that suck the air out of a possibly tender exchange. The thing about grief is most people don’t want to go there. That’s why they’ll say you’re … Continue reading Vulnerability is Strength
~Kim Libertini Loss triggers the rollout of a thick fog of guilt. That fog sits heavily impairing visibility. Depending on the type of loss and the nature of the relationship, guilt varies. I know this because I grappled with guilt with each successive loss. When I lost my father, I was forced to examine … Continue reading Grappling Guilt and Finding Forgiveness
No one wants to get that phone call. My mom had gone to the doctor. They said to bring support. That’s never a good sign. My sister drove her to the appointment and back. Then, they called me with the results: Cancer. It was breast cancer, but it wasn't only in her breasts, it was … Continue reading Cancer Changed Everything
Goodgrief App 