Grief in January

As a new year begins, I’m not interested in asking you to look back with gratitude or forward with optimism if that doesn’t fit. For many people, the turning of the calendar brings a mix of memory, longing, relief, dread, and everything in between.

Grief doesn’t reset when the year changes. The people we love don’t stay behind in the old one. They come with us.

Instead of resolutions or big promises, what if this year asked for something gentler? More room. More honesty. More permission to feel what’s actually here. That might include moments of warmth or meaning. It might also include sorrow, fatigue, or a sense of being untethered.

There is no right way to mark this time. Some people light candles. Some don’t. Some remember quietly. Some need distraction. All of it is allowed.

Grief doesn’t need to be transformed into gratitude to be valid. It doesn’t need to teach you a lesson or make you stronger. It simply asks to be acknowledged, tended to, and carried with care.

If you’re entering this year with grief beside you, you’re not alone.

We can move forward slowly. Together.

Holding space,

Jacquie