Greetings from Grief

Welcome to What’s Helping Today, a newsletter about the everyday work of staying alive on earth — written by author and journalist Sandy Ernest Allen.

Hey all,

I’ve recently received some shocking and devastating news, in my life. Grief has made my world small and very focused on the present here, the moment to moment. But of course the news-news is hellish as well.

Now more than ever I’ve been trying to follow my own sometime best advice for the worst days — like focusing on what I can and not on what I can’t. I’ve been trying to lean as hard as I can on my own best-built supportive routines and relationships. I’ve been trying to remember to care for myself and to eat.

I keep thinking of that Andrea Gibson advice that was like: When grieving, every feeling you feel (like sadness, anger), just reframe it as love. One is feeling sorrow because one loves … one is feeling fury because one loves …

What’s Helping Today: I’m feeling grateful for a lot right now; even the small blessings are feeling big. I’m grateful to be well supported as this nightmare unfolds.

Also Helping Today: Despite everything happening or because of it, I baked these raspberry streusel muffins earlier and they were unbelievably good.

That’s it … I just wanted to send you all a quick note explaining you may not hear from me for a while, and why.

To my $5-a-month-or-more Buy Me a Coffee contributors: I apologize as this will delay our first collective Zoom, which I’d recently announced. I still intend to do it, when I can. I appreciate your patience.

Sending love,
Sandy

Thanks for reading What’s Helping Today, a newsletter by me — author and journalist Sandy Ernest Allen. You can subscribe here. As ever, if you like my work: Please consider supporting me via my Buy Me a Coffee. Your help is greatly appreciated.