Hey there, grief warriors. Let's talk about something that hits harder than your aunt's questionable casserole at the funeral – when the people you thought would be your ride-or-dies turn into your bye-and-byes after losing someone to suicide.
You know the scene: You're going through the most devastating loss of your life, and suddenly people are pulling the "time heals all wounds" card faster than you can say "complicated grief." Or better yet, they hit you with the "aren't you over it yet?" look when you mention your person for the billionth time. (No, Karen, I'm not "over" my dad just because you're over hearing about him.)
Here's what nobody tells you about grief – it's like the world's worst social filter. Some people you thought would be there forever pull a magician's disappearing act, while others get weirdly uncomfortable when you need to talk about your loved one for the five-hundredth time. It's like they think grief has an expiration date stamped on it somewhere.
But here's the plot twist that changed everything for me: Finding my real tribe.
I'm talking about the kind of people who don't check their watches when you start crying in the middle of brunch. The ones who don't try to silver-line your storm clouds or tell you to "stay positive" when you're having a moment. The ones who get it because they've been there.
In our Mourning Glory groups, we've been meeting for almost five years now. FIVE. YEARS. And you know what? We still never get tired of hearing each other's stories. Why? Because grief isn't a one-and-done deal. It's more like a Netflix series that keeps getting renewed for new seasons, each one with its own plot twists and character development.
Some recent highlights from our grief squad meetings:
- That time Audra ugly-cried because she found her mom's old recipe book, and nobody told her to "look on the bright side"
- When Frank shared his brother's favorite dad joke for the hundredth time, and we all still laughed
- The weekly "What Inappropriate Thing Did Someone Say to Me About My Grief" roundtable (it's both hilarious and therapeutic)
Here's the thing about finding your tribe: these aren't just people who understand your grief – they're people who celebrate your loved one's life with you, who don't get weird when you want to talk about death, and who understand that sometimes healing looks like crying in your car while blasting your person's favorite song.
And the best part? We've got room for more in our grief squad.
Yes, YOU. The one reading this who's tired of people telling you to "move on" or "get over it." The one who feels like they have to hide their grief to make others comfortable. The one who just wants to talk about their person without someone trying to fix it.
Our groups aren't your typical "sit in a circle and talk about your feelings" deal (though we do that too). We're more like... the Island of Misfit Toys, except it's the Island of People Who Get It. We laugh, we cry, we share inappropriate grief jokes that would scandalize your therapist, and we hold space for all of it.
So if you're tired of filtering your grief to make others comfortable, if you're looking for people who understand that healing doesn't mean forgetting, if you want a place where you can be your full, grieving, growing, messy self – come join us.
Your person died. That sucks. But you don't have to navigate this alone. Your grief squad is waiting.
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Love,
Aleksei and the team at Mourning Glory Club, a registered 501(c)3
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