by orla blackburn | Dec 29, 2025 | blog, Grief Support, Personal Stories
I thought Christmas Day would be the hardest. So I planned. I filled the day. I made sure it was loud and bright and full of people. I threw myself into the performance of “everything’s fine” because I couldn’t bear the thought of my little boy missing out on the...
by orla blackburn | Dec 2, 2025 | blog, Grief Support, Personal Stories
Last week, I went to my mother-in-law’s funeral. Audrey. Fierce, vibrant, funny Audrey. Except she hadn’t really been Audrey for some time. Alzheimer’s had softened her edges, dulled her spark. The woman who once took charge of everything from dinner to job...
by orla blackburn | Oct 25, 2025 | blog, Grief Support, Personal Stories
I see it again and again in widow forums: someone quietly posts that they just can’t go back to their old job. The spark is gone. The purpose is gone. The energy is definitely gone. And they’re left wondering: Is this normal? (Spoiler: yes.) For many of us, the job we...
by orla blackburn | Sep 21, 2025 | blog, Grief Support, Personal Stories
Earlier this year, I met K. It was January, in Sarasota, Florida. I was there as a facilitator on a incredible retreat for widows—not a guest, although that kind of deep receiving is something I still long for. Yoga, meditation, breath work—these ancient rituals have...
by orla blackburn | Jul 27, 2025 | blog, Grief Support, Personal Stories, Personal Stories
Sometimes I forget what it feels like to be held. I don’t mean physically. I mean emotionally, mentally, nervously—held in a way where someone actually hears you. Where you don’t have to justify how hard things have been or explain why you’re still not “over...
by orla blackburn | Jun 26, 2025 | blog, Grief Support, Personal Stories, Personal Stories
Two Days, One Reminder: Why Stepping Away Can Change Everything Last week I took a two-day trip. It wasn’t a holiday, exactly. I brought my son with me, and it had a purpose: to visit the retreat venue I booked months ago for my October retreat. A venue I had...
