progress

Grief looks different for everyone, and the process isn't linear. We take two steps forward and one step back. And the progress made today may seem to disappear tomorrow.

But have hope: progress is still happening, no matter how seemingly slight. The circular nature of grief -- the spiral upward, then downward, then upward again -- is normal.

Remember, too, that loss is loss. The sudden death of a loved one. The end of a marriage. A debilitating illness. A dream shattered. A child leaving home. Each of these is loss, and each of them must be grieved.

It is the act of grieving that propels us forward.