LWLW BLOG LIFE

A death in the family can soften us. It can bring up nostalgia, regret, tenderness, and longing. And still—grief doesn’t erase boundaries. Loss does not automatically repair what was broken, and it does not require you to reopen access to people who repeatedly ignored your “no.” Compassion is real. But compassion does not mean self-abandonment. For many of us—especially adult survivors of emotionally immature family systems, addiction patterns, or long-standing scapegoating—

It’s easy to pathologize ourselves this time of year: “Why am I so down?”“Everyone else seems happy.”“I should be over this by now.” But holidays can be anniversary dates for a lot of pain: The first holiday without someone you love. The tenth holiday that still aches. The season you finally accepted that reconciliation may never come. The year you chose distance from family for your own safety. Your body remembers what your mind tries to file away. Smells, songs, decorations

Holding “Both/And”: The Sacred and Expansive Work of Healing What if healing wasn’t about getting over it… but exploring the complexity of holding pain while seeking and curating joy? This blog post is a gentle invitation into a more expansive way of healing — one that honors grief, disappointment, and heartbreak while also nurturing creativity, beauty, and aliveness. It’s about embracing the sacred “both/and” of our human experience. You’ll meet two women — Ava and Dina —