Learning To Live In The Both/And: Grief, Growth, And Grace

Whew! May was heavy y’all and if you took this journey with me this far, thank you.

May wasn’t just heavy, May was healing, too. May was full of reminders that I’ve lost…and that I’ve lived. And as I close this month, I’m learning to stop trying to choose between grief or joy, strength or softness, the past or the future. I’m learning to live in the both/and.

I am both broken and whole.

I am both grieving and growing.

I miss him deeply and love who I’m becoming.

I am tired and hopeful.

Still hurting and still here.

This month held so much.

The tears on May 15th.

The ache on Mother’s Day.

The joy that snuck in anyway.

The warmth of someone new.

The resilience in my kids’ eyes.

The bravery it took to write it all out and not shrink away from my truth.

And now, here I am—not at the end of a healing journey, but deep within it.

Still learning how to pace myself.

Still reminding myself that I don’t have to have it all figured out.

Still honoring my grief without letting it write every chapter.

I used to think healing would mean moving on.

Now I know healing just means learning to carry it differently.

Today I’m Choosing To:

• Breathe deeper

• Be proud of how far I’ve come

• Allow space for peace, even in pieces

• Keep showing up—gently, honestly, imperfectly

To the woman who’s lived a thousand lives in one month—I’m you too. I am so proud of you baby. We’re not here to get it perfect. We’re here to keep going, to keep becoming, to keep breathing through the both/and of it all. And that…is more than enough.

—La 💙