One of the most beautiful parts of life is having people to share it with: getting your dream job and celebrating with your best friend, watching a sunset on a beach with your favorite person, even grieving a loss with someone to support you. And it’s just as beautiful to bear witness to other people’s lives as well: holding your best friend’s newborn, celebrating a hard-earned accomplishment, and comforting someone close in times of need. Our interdependence with the people around us creates connection, safety, and belonging, giving meaning to even the most mundane parts of life.

In many parts of the world, grief rituals and cultural approaches to mourning shape how people heal after loss. For Sicilians, grief is not something to be hidden or overcome. It is witnessed, shared, spoken aloud, and woven into community life. Grief is understood as a human experience that deserves expression, support, and ritual.

Even though winter doesn’t technically start until more than midway through December, by February, lots of folks are looking hopefully toward spring. Groundhog Day, on February 2nd, supposedly tells us how long winter will last. But we know how long winter will last; kitschy rodent news coverage aside, we know that we are in this until late March, which can feel very far away.

November can feel like the start of a marathon. As soon as October ends, we officially head into The Holidays, and from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, family and social interactions abound. Family traditions, seeing relatives we haven’t been with for a while, and sharing food and conversation can be lovely, fun, and nurturing. It can also be tense, challenging, even painful. We may have challenging family relationships or feel the loss of someone who’s no longer with us.

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month, so we’ve chosen this topic for our inaugural post.

Join us as we explore the journeys of resilience, growth, and hope. You’re not alone—let’s walk this path together.