Processing Grief

Learning to Carry What Can’t Be Fixed

Grief isn’t a straight line. It’s not a checklist or something to get over — it’s something I carry. These posts are me trying to make sense of that weight: how it shifts, when it surprises me, and what it teaches me if I’m willing to sit with it. Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it screams. But this is where I let it speak.

motherland book

Motherland: A Memoir

by Barb Higgins ・ Proceeds go to The Molly B Foundation

Episode 157: Making Amends

Step nine is all about the act of making amends and a list to go alongside it. It’s made me consider what truth really means, how context plays a part, and how communication can be ruptured if not done correctly.    Key Takeaways: ...

Episode 146: My Menopause Story

Menopause is seen differently in America versus other cultures. Society here sees it in a negative light, but there is so much more to the story. My own experience with taking estrogen has made my life better and I’ve noticed a huge...

Episode 144: Dealing With My Anger

As I had the most frustrating weeks I’ve had in a while, it made me think about my anger. My coping mechanisms, good and bad, as well as the repressed anger and how I’m learning to do better. For both myself and to teach Jack better coping...

Episode 139: The Memories of my Childhood

As I look back on my childhood, I’m reminded of how my neighborhood has changed and the people around me are dying. I also am deeply thinking about the season of Molly, the choices I’ve made, and how I can honor her.    Key...

Episode 138: The Movies That Make Me Cry

As Easter is passing it brings back all the memories of Molly. I sat down to watch some movies which just had me in tears and made me think back on all the choices I’ve made in my own life. I really recommend you watch them and see how you relate to...

Episode 134: The Show Six Feet Under is Life Changing

I binged watched Six Feet Under, a show based on a real life family who owned a funeral home and how they went through grief. It was such a moving show that covered divorced, being gay, marriage, birth, and death that I felt a full spectrum of...

Episode 133: Cherophobia: The Fear Of Joy

This episode is all about cherophobia and how whenever things start to feel good, I feel like I want to flee. It is about an aversion to joy often because of trauma and how when things start to go well, I often can bring stressful people into my...

Episode 132: Discovering Treasure Troves In My Old Journals

I recently discovered my old running logs and it was a treasure trove of information on how my life used to be between exercise, old boyfriends, and what my life was like before Molly died. So much of life has changed, and yet, it’s like nothing has...

Episode 131: Fasting for my Religion

In this episode, I explore how and why different religions fast and what it says about society. It was fascinating to learn and all of the religions hold common themes. I also debate if fasting is healthy or not. It leaves me with one question: what...

Episode 130: Taking on the Minimalist Lifestyle

My morning routine will never be full of meditation and yoga. Instead it is currently filled with decluttering my household one bin at a time. This is in an effort to be more of a minimalist and carefully consider why I own the things I do. In this...

Episode 129: The Aftereffects of Sexual Abuse

I listened to the story of Debbie, a woman who was sexually abused in childhood and I truly resonate with. From the way we were both told to be quiet about our abuse, our journeys of healing, and our coping mechanisms. In this episode, I look at...

Episode 124: Chronic Anger is Just Resentment

I feel a lot of anger in my life and I’m diving deep to see what I’m holding on to. Along the way I discover my healing crisis and how anger fits into the 5 stages of grief. In this episode, I’ll find strategies to deal with my anger and what I...

Episode 123: Peeling Back the Layers of Myself

As we do the kitchen renovation, we’ve found layers upon layers of wallpaper and flooring. This is much like the multitude of layers of my person. I keep saying I’m going to change things and instead I rush around. So now I’m finding new ways to...

Episode 120: The Holiday Woes

The holidays are upon us again and as always it’s a rollercoaster. The MollyB basket went differently this year than it had previously and that was an adjustment for us all. On top of that, I’ve had to navigate how to spend Christmas with Jack...

Episode 117: Stop Telling Women To Be Quiet

I’m tired of people telling women to be quiet. In today’s age, so many minority groups pit themselves against another minority group and I sometimes don’t understand whose benefit that is. This is part of why I wrote Motherland. I was tired of...

Episode 116: Being Open About Death

In the 70s when my best friend died, I didn’t know because it wasn’t talked about. This had a lifelong impact on me full of grief and reflection. This is why when Molly died I decided to let all her friends know what was happening and allow anyone...

Episode 115: Processing the Messy Middle

It seems like everyone around me is dying as I grow older. It’s a lot to process and has led me on a journey of looking into the 5 stages of grief and finding a 6th stage too. I think about the stage that I’m in versus others around me and how...

Episode 114: The Seasons of Change

The kitchen updates continue to terrify and excite me as I remember all the times that we spent as a family in the kitchen where Molly sat. I also had my book launch and so many people I wasn’t expecting came out to support me.    Key...

Episode 112: The Giving Tree

We recently had to chop down a tree that has been on our property for years. It brings me great sorrow because change is difficult for me. I have so many memories of Gracie and Molly playing under the tree and now that it’s gone it’s like a piece...

Episode 111: Writing Motherland with Virginia Macgregor

Virginia uses societal issues and turns them into beautiful stories. For the past few years she has helped me write my own story, Motherland which you can pre-order online. We spent hundreds of hours exchanging voice messages and crafting the story of...