February 20th came, and there was a moment...maybe even three that day...when the heaviness of my grief shifted. It seemed to fade, and I couldn't quite place it. Lately, that heaviness had been showing up right below my heart, then shifting into my stomach, rotating between those two residences. It had become a familiar character.

When I joined Grounded Grief I was excited to be part of a team looking to expand its support for youth and families in the Portland area. During a flurry of enthusiastic brainstorming, our Founder & Practice Lead, Katherine Hatch, and I landed on what seemed like a simple idea: a monthly blog dedicated to childhood bereavement.

The New Year is a time when many of us are fed that clarity is supposed to arrive, a new leaf is to be turned, and that our grief may feel different or better. Yet for most who are grieving, New Year's can feel quite the opposite. ​