“Some things cannot be fixed; they can only be carried. Grief like yours, love like yours, can only be carried.”
– Megan Devine
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FIXING
“It’s not our job to fix other people; it’s our job to love them, especially when they feel broken.”
-Unknown
Happy August, what summer plans do you have? What ones do you need to make while the temps are high and the sun is shining? I have seen fall décor out and even one store had holiday stuff on shelves. I was not ready for that as I was shopping for some shorts!
I am a self-proclaimed hard wired helper. I like to contribute, to assist, make a difference when and where I can. This can and has been perceived as me trying to ‘fix’ things or people. That is not where I am coming from but as we all know perception is reality!
What about grief or other emotional pain? When someone is hurting it is natural to want to ease or take this from them. I have learned over the course of many grief journeys in losing my grandma who was so much like a mother to me, my son, my bonus dad of almost thirty years, that grief often wants a witness not a fixer.
I remember at the six-month mark of my sons passing I felt so undone, so overwhelmed by the emotional and mental pain I was feeling. I had several people reach out and offer to come over. I told them all I wasn’t good company and not to bother. I sat in Joey’s room with a box of Puff’s with lotion tissue and cried a river listening to Yacht Rock radio like he and I had so many times together.
Then, some of his close friends dropped by. They sat with me. We talked, laughed, cried, and shared memories. My sister came over, did the same. When the quiet of the evening came and it felt like the world was moving forward and I was stuck I realized I felt lighter. Their being with me in my time of angst eased the load, lightened the weight of the pain in my mind and heart. Their love for me and Joey carried the weight for a time.
Love has the power to do that. Time does that.
The gift of our time, sitting in and with pain, ours or another can be the gift needed to ease what needs eased.
I invite you to share the gift of your time this month. Find someone or somewhere and make it count!
All my best,
Genna
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT
“What is grief, if not love persevering.”
- Laura Donney, Wandavision
Letting Grief and Love Flow
by Meg Hansen
“When someone we love dies, it can feel as though time stops. The world continues moving, yet part of us remains beside the place where everything changed.
Many traditions teach that death is not an ending, but a crossing. I was taught through my Sacred Deathcare course with Sarah Kerr, that loved ones make their way across an energetic river, from the land of the living into the embrace of the ancestors, and our grief helps propel our loved one across the river. While each person has their own beliefs about what happens after death, this image reminds me that love continues its journey, even when we cannot see where it leads.
Our grief is not something to be fixed or silenced. It is an expression of love. Every tear, every memory, every whispered prayer becomes part of the current that carries our love forward. In allowing ourselves to grieve, we honor both the life that was lived and the relationship that continues in a new form.
Grief has movement.
When grief is allowed to move naturally, it often rises through the body, up from the heart, through the throat, and out with tears, breath, sound, or words. But when we believe we must “be strong,” hide our emotions, or carry our pain alone, that current can begin to feel blocked, or “dammed up”. The energy isn’t gone; it simply waits to be witnessed.
Healing isn’t about making grief disappear.
It is about helping grief continue to flow with love. They co exist.
So ask yourself:
- What story am I telling about this loss?
- Is there new language I can create that honors both my pain and my love?
- Instead of saying, “They’re gone,” could I say, “Our relationship has changed”?
- Instead of asking, “How do I move on?” could I ask, “How do I carry their love with me?”
Language has the power to reshape our experience.
Ritual also gives grief somewhere to go.
You might light a candle each evening and speak their name. Write letters to them. Create an altar with meaningful objects. Walk in nature and offer your tears to the earth. Cook their favorite meal. Plant a tree or flowers in their honor. Sing, pray, drum, dance, or simply sit in silence, allowing your heart to speak.
There is no right way to grieve.
There is only your way.
The invitation is not to let go of love, but to allow love and grief to flow together. They have always belonged to one another. Grief is love searching for somewhere to land. When we make space for it to move, we discover that the current of love never truly ends.
May you trust your tears.
May you honor your memories.
May you allow your heart to soften, not harden.
And may your love continue to flow…carrying blessings to those who have crossed before us, while gently healing the one who remains.
With all My love,
Meg Hansen (Sacred Deathcare Walker)”
Available for private sessions – Contact Information below in resources
RESOURCES
988 – National Mental Health Hotline – Talk or Text 24/7
National Alliance on Mental Illness – NAMI www.mani.org/Home
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988
Crisis Hotlines: Common Hotline Phone Numbers | Eluna Network
Mental Health App’s
Talkspace – Best Overall Therapy App
Calm – Best Mindfulness App
My3 – Three People / Three Distractions / Safety Plan App
Chopra App – Great mindfulness and free meditations
Pride Counseling – Best Queer Mental Health App
Youper – Best Self-Guided Therapy App
Headspace – Best Anxiety App
UTAH VISION GALA
RAISING AWARENESS FOR MENTAL HEALTH & SUICIDE PREVENTION
This is the main fundraiser for the Taylor Hagen Memorial Foundation to fund programs and retreats all year.
We are SO excited for another year, to connect, to remember, to play, to raise funds and awareness together.
November 14, 2026 at the Grand America
Room Blocks & Tickets now available!
Bereaved Mother’s Retreat’s
Bereaved Mother’s Retreat’s sponsored by Cristie North of Taylor Hagen Memorial Foundation and Leigh Anne Garcia of Andrew Garcia Memorial Foundation.
Twilight Moon Ranch, Kamas
2026
September 25th – 27th
Visit www.thmemorialfoundation.org or email cristie@thmemorialfoundation.org
MENTAL HEALTH CARE CRISIS CENTER 24/7
Huntsman Mental Health Institute Crisis Care Center
Walk-In care for anyone 18+ experiencing a mental health crisis at no cost.
955 West 3300 South
South Salt Lake City, UT 84119
1:1 Grief Support Sessions, Reiki, Reflexology, Sound Healing and more.
Meg Hansen
503-317-6292
Balancedsoul8@gmail.com
IG – @balancedsoul_8
The Next Adventure 