Hey, you.
Yes, you—sitting there, coffee in hand, lost in thought, quietly wondering if this weight in your chest will ever ease… if the person you were before everything fell apart will ever return.
Maybe you’re still confused, still hurting. Maybe you’ve lost interest in the things you once loved, and you’re wondering if it will ever get better. Let me say something few people will: you’re not being singled out. This is the human experience. We all face hardships, losses, and moments that shake us to the core. You are not alone.
And most important of all, you are not broken.
You’re a soul who dared to love with your whole being, and now, you’re feeling the aftershock of that kind of love. The kind that carves deep and leaves echoes.
I know, because I’ve been there.
I’ve knelt on the cold floor of loss, screaming into silence, begging for answers that never came. I’ve wept until my breath ran out, my voice hoarse from pleading with the stars, pleading to somehow rise above it all.
But here’s the thing: I found something in that darkness, something unexpected.
And now, I want to share it with you.
So sit with me for a while.
Not as a stranger… but as someone who gets it.
This isn’t just a story.
It’s a lifeline.
Grief Doesn’t End But You Keep Growing
Here’s the truth no one talks about enough: grief doesn’t end.
There’s no magical finish line where you stop missing who or what you’ve lost.
But listen, I promise if you allow it, you can and will grow around the grief.
You start carving space for it in your life. You learn how to carry it, not because you “move on,” but because you move forward. That’s where purpose comes in. Purpose doesn’t erase pain, but it gives your pain a place to go.
When I was at my lowest, I asked myself: What can I create out of this heartbreak?
Not because I had to, but because I wanted to honor the love that still existed by building something beautiful.
Purpose Is Something You Choose
Here’s what I’ve learned the hard (and stubborn) way:
Purpose isn’t something that strikes you like lightning.
You don’t sit around waiting for it to find you. You choose it, right here, in the messy, tear-streaked, cracked-open places of life.
You decide:
→ Will I let this pain define me or shape me?
→ Will I freeze in place, or will I take one trembling, defiant step toward something meaningful?
For me, purpose came when I chose to help others carry what I was learning to carry. I couldn’t undo our loss, but I could turn to the world and say, “Let me walk beside you.”
Small Steps. Brave Choices. Every Day.
You don’t need to overhaul your life today. You don’t need a grand plan.
Start small:
✔ Share your story with someone who needs to hear it.
✔ Volunteer for a cause that lights your soul.
✔ Make something — a painting, a poem, a meal that lets your heart speak.
✔ Every morning, ask yourself: What’s one small thing I can do today to honor my lovel?
These tiny acts add up. Over time, they rewire your brain, shift your mindset, and remind you: I am still here. I am still becoming.
You Are Allowed to Rise (Yes, You.)
Let me say this louder for the people who experience the same: you are allowed to rise.
You are allowed to laugh, to love, to dream again.
Grief doesn’t mean you stop living. It means you live fiercely because you understand just how fragile life is.
You hug longer. You dance barefoot in the kitchen. You let yourself cry on the hard days. You do the messy, breathtaking, courageous work of rebuilding a life that feels like yours.
Some days you’ll feel like you’re thriving. Other days you’ll want to throw every self-help book across the room. That’s okay. That’s human. You’re doing it anyway.
My Story, Your Story, Our Story
If you’re wondering whether you have the strength to keep going, let me tell you: you do.
Not because you feel ready, but because you’ve already made it this far.
When I lost my daughter Jenna, I thought I’d never breathe again. But over time, I learned that grief could live beside love. That purpose could bloom in the ashes. That I could choose to rise, again and again.
And you can, too.
Together, We Walk Forward
So here’s my invitation:
Breathe. Put your hand on your heart. Remember that you are here, right now, for a reason.
You don’t have to have it all figured out. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep showing up.
Let’s keep walking this messy, beautiful road together. And if this touched your heart, pass it on to someone who might need these words. Together, we rise.
With all my love,
Dena 💛