I still mother them….

Through selfless action, fulfillment is attained.

I read that quote this morning, and it made me stop. Not because I think I’m selfless. Most days I feel like I’m just trying to keep up with everything that life has handed me. But I do know this. Some of the moments when I have felt the most at peace have come when I was helping someone else carry their burden.

Nine years ago, after losing Vincent, I had a choice. I could let grief swallow every part of me, or I could find a way to make his life continue to matter. Face the Facts was born from the worst day of my life. It wasn’t because I had all the answers. It was because I knew exactly what it felt like to be the mom standing in a funeral home making impossible decisions. If I could make that road even a tiny bit easier for another family, then Vincent’s legacy would keep growing.

Then this year, life reminded me that grief doesn’t follow rules. Losing Gabriella broke my heart in ways I didn’t know were possible. There are mornings when getting out of bed feels like climbing a mountain. There are days when I wonder how I can possibly keep showing up. And yet, every meeting, every phone call, every family we help, every Narcan training, every hug reminds me that purpose can exist alongside pain. They don’t cancel each other out. Somehow they learn to live together.

People often thank me for what I do. The truth is, they have it backwards. This work has saved me more times than I’ll ever be able to explain. It has introduced me to people whose courage leaves me speechless. I’ve watched parents bury children and still choose kindness. I’ve watched people celebrate one day, one month, ten years of recovery. I’ve watched strangers become family. Every single one of them has given something back to me.

I don’t believe fulfillment comes from having more. I think it comes from giving more. It comes from sitting beside someone who feels completely alone and saying, “I’ve got you.” It comes from answering the late-night text, showing up to the funeral, packing the backpack, writing the grant, making the coffee, giving the hug. None of those things make headlines. But they change lives.

So today, if you’re wondering how to quiet the noise in your own heart, look for someone who needs a little piece of yours. You don’t have to change the whole world. Just change someone’s world today. Funny how, in the middle of helping someone else breathe a little easier, you often discover you’re breathing a little easier too. 💜