May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Like so many people, I have struggled with depression and anxiety for most of my life. Although I had been in counseling since I was in my late teens, it was only after my second bout of postpartum depression that I received the medications that would not only stabilize my mood but also allow me to use the tools that I had learned in therapy more effectively. This does not preclude me from having bad days. Instead, it helps me through the tough times that are a part of living.

Do you ever feel blue in the spring when the world is coming back to life? If so, you are not alone. In this post I discuss those feelings along with "gray grief," the feeling that comes with uncertainty and strategies that have helped me. #chronicillness #grief #changes

The one thing I’ve learned over the last 14 years, since Mike died on March 13, 2012, is that I can not predict how I will feel or what the time leading up to the date will look like. The only sure thing is that I will feel sad and miss Mike with all my heart. #widow #griefblogger #griefadvocate

Continuing bonds is something that I learned about in the grief groups that I belong to and books I've read. It is the connection with our loved ones who have died. In this piece, I explore the ways that I find my mom in my life and the many ways we are alike, It is a source of comfort and strength.

In “Bittersweet Season,” I reflect on living in the duality that the holiday season brings. There is the grief I feel for my husband and parents who have died while also finding moments of joy through creativity. It’s always a tough time of year, but I know that I will live through it. #poetry #holidaygrief #creativityheals

The holidays are a time when the grief I carry with me takes a toll on me. This year I had an epiphany that I develop holiday grief amnesia, where I forget that I feel this way every year since my husband died. I think it's the brains way of protecting me from emotional overload.This year I was able to give a name to it, which has helped me to be more gentle with myself.

"Whispers of the Soul" is a reflection on missing a loved one and still feeling their presence in the world around me. #poetry #poem #girefreflection

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