Welcome
Someone once told 17 year old Marissa that one day she’d be able to turn her pain into healing. She could channel grief into meaningful connection and help others who would experience the same loss. There are some losses we never move on from – only forward.
About the writer
A self-proclaimed “bicoastal Midwesterner” who grew up in San Francisco only to end up on the East Coast for college. I’m now a tech marketer residing in Chicago. For those who know me, I love to write almost as much as I love to talk. If I’m not doing either of those things you’ll find me volunteering with shelter animals.
Why I’m here
This blog is not a how to guide or self-help page. I can’t tell you how to cure grief. There are no five stages in my journey. Dear mom is a safe space of honest emotional expression.
I welcome you into this space for however long and whenever you need. What you take away is up to you. Maybe there will be comfort in knowing someone has experienced similar loss. Or you’ll find words that translate your own story into a language you can finally understand.
My hope is that this blog will be shared and reach those who are struggling and feel alone or afraid. Those who don’t know how to support their loved ones and need a way to connect. This blog is as much for me as it is for you.
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12 Years
Dear Mom, Every anniversary brings different feelings. In the first years it was fear. The fear that I wouldn’t make it past another August 14th. Being afraid the emotions would drown me because I hadn’t…
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In the moments
Grief is lying on the couch scrolling on your phone when all of a sudden a random video, photo, article on the internet pulls the floor out from underneath you. You’re plunged back into the…
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Happy 68th Birthday
Dear Mom, As the years go by I find myself longing for a different part of you. I knew a superb mother who always put her children first. She worked east coast hours at 5am…
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Happy 67th Birthday
Dear Mom, Every year on your birthday I sit and think of all the versions of yourself you could’ve been. The lives you could’ve lived. The memories you could’ve had. Do you remember running a…
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Love, Karen
This year’s letter will be a special one. It has been 10 years of processing the highs and lows of grief. An entire decade of life persevering and love enduring. There is no way to…
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F**k Grief
TW: Substance abuse and profanity Dear Mom, I’ve spent the past 10 years putting together what happened to you. It’s like learning a new language that no one else understands. My heart has bled into…
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Happy 66th Birthday
Dear Mom, 10 years ago we celebrated what would be your last birthday. I can’t remember what we did. Maybe we made your chocolate chip pancakes – adding bananas inside to make them “healthy.” I…
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Nine Years
Dear Mom, Nine years ago I went to the hospital to visit my mom while she was going through her second round of chemo. When I walked into her room she was nowhere to be…
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Goodbye, Grandpa
My mom is not the only loss that’s changed me in the past nine years. This is a special tribute to my adopted grandfather, Geddes Hanson. On March 27, 2021 the world suddenly lost a…