August 2025

Our bodies carry the weight of loss too. Sometimes the heart’s ache is mirrored in aching muscles, a racing pulse, or a fatigue that feels bone-deep. Just as grief is more than one emotion there is a physical side of grief.

Even if it’s hard to believe it right now, as you move forward your heart won’t always feel as tender or your grief as intense as it does in the early days, weeks, and months following a loss. When grief shatters our hearts, choosing joy can feel like an impossible choice.

Most people think the grieving period is over after the funeral and we should simply pick up the pieces and move on, forgetting our loved ones who are no longer with us. Kind of like “out of sight, out of mind.” But for those walking the journey we know all too well this is just the beginning of a journey filled with many ups and downs. Even if our loved ones are no longer in our sight, they will forever be in our hearts and mind.

August marks International Overdose Awareness Month—a time to remember the precious lives lost to overdose and to stand in solidarity with the families left behind. For many, this month is deeply personal. It’s not just a global observance—it’s a reminder of sons and daughters, siblings and friends, whose stories were cut short by substance use disorder. It’s about honoring lives lost to addiction.