As I sit writing and gazing out the window, I watch the treetops sway in the wind, their leaves in various stages of letting go. Some are still green, others brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red, while many have already made their way back to the earth.
As I move through another fall season marked by the anniversaries of my parents' deaths, I've been reflecting on the ways grief shifts and changes with each passing year. The pain of loss is still there, but it has changed in ways I couldn't have imagined four years ago. I'm grateful for that, and for the reminder that grief, like nature, moves through its own seasons and cycles.
In my latest essay, I revisit a deeply personal time in my life and reflect on how my family chose to lay my parents to rest.
When my parents died just four weeks apart in the fall of 2022, we chose a rather unconventional way to say goodbye, to say the least! With shovels in our hands, we dug their graves ourselves, creating a deeply personal ritual of remembrance and one final act of love and care.
I've shared parts of this story before, but returning to it four years later has deepened my gratitude for the experience we shared as a family. It continues to shape my understanding of ritual and the meaningful ways we can tend to our grief, honor those we love, and remain connected to them.
Click on the image below to read my latest essay, We Dug Their Graves Ourselves.
You don’t need to subscribe to Substack to read it, although you’re warmly invited to join me there for more reflections and writing.
our unconventional burial
Take a peek below at some exciting opportunities to be with me this fall - I would love for you to join either a free Tender Day Grief Circle, an in-person grief circle, and/or the upcoming Holiday Grief Circle Day Retreat! Oh ... and Reiki for Grief? Oh my goodness YES. What a powerful and very gentle way to be with the grief that you carry.
Should you know of anyone in need of grief support, I'd be grateful if you passed these opportunities along.
As always, I LOVE hearing from you so please reach out anytime.
Here with you,
Upcoming Events + Circles + Services
December 12, 2026
Day Retreat: Tending Grief through the Holidays
For those in the Twin Cities area, the holidays can be especially tender when you're living with grief. Join me for Tending Grief Through the Holidays at Healing Roots Wellness Center for a nourishing day retreat offering rest, reflection, gentle movement, restorative sound, connection, and ritual.
Together, we'll explore ways to care for ourselves and our grief through the season while creating a personal Holiday Grief-Tending Kit to take home.
We all know of those certain days on the calendar that are just really tender. These virtual circles are specifically designed for those tough ones. They are always free and open to all.
I recently completed my Reiki master training with a dear soul, and I am giddy about beginning to offer Reiki for those moving through grief. I also offer both in-person and virtual grief guidance sessions. I love hearing your stories, getting to know your person or pet that has crossed or about a life ending that needs witnessing and tending. Interested in both?! I have you covered with an integrated session that includes both Reiki and guidance.
Community Grief Circles: Healing Roots Wellness Center
Every Tuesday evening, we gather in community to tend to the grief that we are carrying. This circle is for anyone - any loss - no matter how long it has been. Our format is simple: we light a candle at the beginning of the circle, there is a topic for the evening that is aligned with the rhythms of Nature, a grief-tending practice, and optional sharing. We close each circle with silence before extinguishing the flame.
Please try to sign up ahead of time, but you are more than welcome to make a game-time decision (I get it)!