I used to be the person who said, "He's in a better place." I meant it with love. I believed I was offering comfort, something meaningful to someone who was hurting. Then Ryan died, and suddenly I understood how those words could land on a grieving mother's heart. I didn't need someone to tell me about heaven. I believed in heaven. I needed someone to understand that believing Ryan was there didn't make me want him here any less. What took me longer to recognize was that I ha

I don't use the word welcome lightly. Maybe you are here because you know this kind of loss personally. Maybe you are here because someone you love does. Either way, you are welcome here. There is room for your child to be remembered and their name to be spoken. There is room for faith and questions to exist in the same conversation. There is room for strength that doesn't require you to pretend you are okay. And there is room to continue living without believing that doing s