We are standing at a threshold,
about to say good-bye to 2015
and cross over into the New Year.

Sometime this past year
someone you know stood at the threshold
of life and death,
said goodbye to physical form
and crossed over to the Other Side.

You may have been at their bedside
or miles away.
You may have received a phone call
or read about it on Facebook.

However close or distant you were,
however much you loved them or struggled,
they won't be stepping into 2016
with you in the same way as just a year ago.

It's shocking. It's sad. It hurts.

Your brain might not yet be able to grasp
the full reality of their death.
It might be hard for you to imagine life without them.
It might feel like you are leaving them behind
as the year of their death comes to a close.

Your friends are attending parties
and dreaming up New Year's resolutions.
You can barely think ahead to next week
and feel lucky to get the laundry done.

You're not alone in this. You're not alone.

I wish for you these 5 things on your grief journey in 2016:

Deep knowing that the love between you continues.
Peaceful growing into new ways of connecting with and remembering them.
Courage to feel your grief and share it with those you trust.
Self-compassion as you learn how to live your life after their death.
Finally, I wish you a safe and gentle crossing of the threshold into 2016.