Over the summer, 300 years or so ago, I had the privilege to contribute to CIVIC SQUARE Re_ Festival. I have since spent much of the summer working alongside and towards a vision I set out in the festival, building spaces where we hold grief collectively and in our everyday lives. Read on to hear…
Tag: Grief
Reframing, and noting a moment.
It’s the 2nd of July 2020. I’m writing this as a little note on the back of this painting, to mark the moment I framed over this Wild Thing boat. I’m going to frame the illustrated CHM Thanatology company certificate over this one. For a few reasons, but mostly because the time has come to…
In Motion
Navigating the Wilderness, and my voice sitting beside it, has been in motion for some time now. It felt like a pause, with posting all but abandoned and apprehension around social media and such public sharing growing into something unmanageable. With our family at the centre, and the contracting and expanding nature of our world,…
Crafted In The Shadow Of Loss
It’s been a little quieter over here since Norah’s birthday. Within our family, most of our key occasions fall in the period of June-July, and whilst the date of this post is insignificant, it feels like a good time to start to get back into the normal rhythms of life. Our time since Norah’s birthday…
Norah’s Wild Rumpus; Scafell Pike
Norah’s book has always been ‘Where the Wild Things Are’, by Maurice Sendak, we read it to her throughout my pregnancy, nicknamed her our Wild Thing, and painted scenes from the book to hang in her room. When Norah died, Where the Wild Things Are took on a new meaning; we felt as though a…
Breaking out of the waiting place
Last week, back in the town where Norah died and held amongst the consultants, pathologists and other professionals involved in Norah’s care, Norah’s inquest was finally concluded. We have suspected all along that we wouldn’t find a cause for Norah’s death, so to an extent we were prepared for the outcome. In anticipation of the…
The tempering of grief.
In the very early days of our grief we could do little more than exist. Crushed beneath the weight of our daughter’s death, even breathing felt impossible. In the two weeks that Norah was alive we existed on very little anything; sleeping, eating and living along with the chaos of new life and the brutality…
Grieving with autism.
This week, the 26th March to the 2nd April, is Autism Awareness Week. Norah’s Dad is taking over this week to open the door on his world, and to share some of his experiences, with a little help as ever from me. I have always known I was slightly different to my peers, but I…
Drowning in our differences.
My husband and I have been married for almost three years now and together for almost seven. We have easily spent 95% of our time in the last eight years together; we were best friends before we were partners and we have built our world around each other. Our marriage has endured job losses, health…
I’ll be seeing you.
The day that Norah died was filled with life. It’s hard to reconcile the notion that Norah’s last day with us was anything other than despair, but it really was filled with life and love. As a family we have always found ways to infuse life with soul and intimacy absent of religious liturgy. We…
Navigating The Wilderness 