Clear Mourning

Grief can get complicated when the person you lost was also someone you had unfinished pain with.

In this clip from Enduring Grief, Aurena shares what it was like to grieve her mom while also realizing there were parts of their relationship that still hurt.

After her mom died, she thought maybe it was time to put the painful parts behind her. But as she started building a future with her partner, old comments and old wounds started coming back up.

And then her sister offered something that stayed with her:
You do not have unfinished business with your mom as an evolved soul.
You have unfinished business with your mom as a human being.

Because grief does not erase the full truth of a relationship.

You can love someone deeply and still need to tend to the parts of you that were hurt by them.
You can miss someone and still be honest about what was painful.
You can carry love, grief, anger, tenderness, and healing all at once.

This conversation with Aurena is a gentle reminder that grief is not always simple, and we do not have to make someone perfect in order to keep loving them.

Listen to the full episode of Enduring Grief with Sarah Peterson and Aurena, co-creator of the Planet Grief deck.

In this clip from Enduring Grief, I share what it was like to be supported by my friend Katie Hartley after the death of my daughter, Marley. Katie is a hospice nurse and someone who naturally wants to bring comfort and healing, but together we learned that some suffering is beyond anything anyone can solve.
Instead of trying to fix my grief, she stayed.

She showed up.
She helped with what was practical.
She offered love without expectations.
She reminded me that being present, even when it feels like it is not enough, can matter more than we realize.

One of the greatest gifts I received during my grief was having people who were willing to stay close, even when there were no words to make things better.

Listen to the full episode of Enduring Grief with me and Katie Hartley, a heartfelt conversation about friendship, practical support, and the quiet power of simply being present.

Grief changes more than your emotions.

It changes your heart.
It changes your body.
It changes your capacity.
It changes the way you move through the world.

In this powerful moment from Enduring Grief, Pixie Lighthorse reminds us that grief is an inside job. When we stop fighting it and allow ourselves to feel what is real, it may feel harder before it feels healing.

Your productivity may change.
Your relationships may change.
Your sense of self may change.
Your expectations of who you are supposed to be may have to soften.

But that transformation is not failure.

It is part of what grief asks of us.

This conversation is a gentle reminder that grief is not something to rush, fix, or carry alone. It is something that needs care, witness, patience, and community.

Listen to the full episode of Enduring Grief with Pixie Lighthorse, author, poet, teacher, and grief tender whose work helps people build honest relationships with grief, healing, nature, and community.