This Truth and Reconciliation Day reminds us all to be part of healing the wounds caused by colonialism. Building a society grounded in respect and equality means acknowledging generational trauma and actively participating in creating change.

I believe that grief is a complex and non-linear process, requiring time, courage, and energy. I grant myself the permission to grief in my own way.

Survivor guilt is a powerful and debilitating emotion that often haunts those left behind after a suicide. It stems from the belief that somehow, you could have prevented the tragedy, or that you bear some responsibility for the loss. This guilt can manifest in various ways, such as feeling responsible for not having seen any signs or not having intervened in time. In reality, suicidal individuals often hide their pain well, making it nearly impossible for friends and family to recognize the depth of their suffering.

Suicide, a profoundly tragic and deeply perplexing act, leaves in its wake a trail of heartache that defies understanding. Within the shock of this loss, survivors frantically search for the understanding how their loved one came to this decision. Today I want to offer a guiding hand to those who are grappling with the loss of a loved one to suicide.

Grief is a normal and natural response to loss, and it is something that everyone experiences at some point in their lives. Traumatic grief, however, is a more intense form of grief that can be caused by a traumatic event or experience. While both forms of grief involve feelings of sadness, pain, anger, and anxiety, there are some key differences between them.

Although it is the natural order of life to expect your parents to die before you, many people are surprised by the complexity and depth of their grief when it happens. The death of a parent is a milestone in your life just as marriage, birth of children, or retirement. With the death of a parent there is a fundamental change in your identity and in the family structure.

What is meant by anticipatory grief? It is normal to feel grief whenever there is a loss. What is puzzling is that anticipatory grief begins before a death when aspects of the previous life is lost to the disease. The technical term is ambiguous loss when a person is physically present but mentally lost. Addictions, mental psychosis, dementia, or Alzheimers’s are examples of ambiguous loss. Yes, grief can begin without a death.