But perhaps I am not supposed to be. Perhaps the work of grief is not about finding our way back to who we were, but learning how to become who we are now while carrying the love, memories, and losses that have shaped us.

Motherhood taught me patience I did not know I had. It invited me to notice beauty in small, ordinary moments, a tiny hand holding mine, a laugh that could fill an entire room. It shaped me with humility and showed me how deeply a heart can stretch when rooted in love. Now, decades later, my firstborn is a mother herself to two beautiful little girls. They have been, and continue to be, sources of deep joy and steady light, especially on days when life and grief feel overwhel