These hands have a deeply personal journey with grief and revealed that their understanding and experience of it have evolved over time. Initially, they struggled with grief, finding it overwhelming and difficult to process. As they grew older, they came to view grief as a natural and necessary way to honor loved ones. They now feel more comfortable accepting it when it arises.

These hands hold a photograph of their mother with Richard Simmons from the early 90’s. This photo represents a rare moment of happiness and health for their mother, who has faced chronic health issues throughout her life. This period was a "golden time" for their mother and presently, she is no longer able to walk and is in poor health.

These hands expressed a desire for others to understand the profound fatigue that accompanies their grief. They emphasized that their exhaustion is not merely a result of everyday stresses. There is a deep, overwhelming weariness tied to their emotional struggles. Despite their openness about their grief, they wish more people would recognize and acknowledge the intense toll it takes on them.

These hands voiced a curiosity about how others manage long-term grief and how one can heal from the prolonged emotional burden. They are particularly interested in understanding how people cope with the ongoing uncertainty and emotional weight of grief.

These hands are reflecting on their deep and ongoing experience with grief, which began in their teenage years. At sixteen, they faced a profound loss when their cousin died in a car accident. This event was compounded by two more tragedies within a few months: the death of their grandpa and another cousin. These losses deeply affected them, shaping their worldview and emotional landscape.

In their adult years, they have continued to grapple with grief, experiencing a miscarriage and the death of their other grandpa. Each loss has been uniquely challenging, intertwining with their personal journey and emotional processing.

These hands expressed a desire for more open conversations about grief and the varied ways people cope with it. They believe that while their grief has been a significant part of their life, societal norms often sideline discussions of it.

These hands hold physical mementos that hold sentimental value, such as a candle and pink ribbon from a cousin’s funeral, a metal from another cousin’s gymnastics achievements, and a piece of wood from their grandpa’s land. These items symbolize their connection to their loved ones and their lasting impact on their life. Through these objects and conversations, these hands seek to honor their grief and keep the memories of loved ones alive.

These hands describe grief as a deep, watery emotion related to loss, which they personally experience through estrangement from their child. There is a deep pain they carry each day. They believe that grief is like being broken open.

These hands shared that grief can be isolating and reflected on experiences of communal grieving. They emphasized the importance and the healing power of grieving in a supportive community. They believe that sharing vulnerability can help process pain.

These hands hold sentimental items from their estranged child, which they keep as reminders of their love for them and their ongoing grief. One was a Mother’s Day gift.

These hands have been on a grief journey comprised of personal loss, the healing power of community, and an enduring hope for connection.

These hands shared experiences and reflections on grief and addressing the stigma surrounding it. They highlighted that grief is often difficult to discuss openly due to its complexity and the discomfort it may cause others. From their own experience, they felt compelled to hide their grief to avoid making others uncomfortable, despite it being a central part of their life.

These hands describe grief as a multifaceted emotion that evolves over time. Initially marked by intense loss and trauma, it later includes bittersweet memories and self-reflection. For them, grief has grown more complex as they have dealt with the absence of their father and the realizations about what was missed during his lifetime.

These hands expressed a desire for more open discussions about grief, wishing people would feel more comfortable acknowledging and talking about it. They feel that having safe spaces where people can openly share their grief and memories would be beneficial. These hands also reflected on how family dynamics affected their grief, noting that their family's focus was often on someone else’s experience rather than their own.

These hands enjoy knitting and learned from a friend during the last part of their father’s life. These hands now support that friend after a recent miscarriage.

Ultimately, these hands find that their experience with grief has led to personal growth, making them more open and appreciative in their roles as a mother, partner, and friend. They believe that grief, while painful, can foster significant personal development.

The grief these hands hold is intertwined with identity. They are grappling with grief related to a recent autism diagnosis, which came at age 40. This revelation has led them to reflect on their past struggles with ADHD and the broader implications for their self-perception and future.

These hands also mourn the loss of a photography career, a field they deeply loved, but found increasingly unviable. This transition has led to a reevaluation of their sense of identity and success. They question societal expectations about success and independence, particularly the pressures to constantly achieve and the challenges of navigating their own needs and limits.

They shared a poignant story about supporting a friend through grief and how that experience, alongside the development of old photographs, connects to their current feelings and identity struggles.

Overall, they highlight a deep exploration of personal grief, the impact of professional and personal transitions, and the ongoing search for understanding and support. Their grief and their identity are invitations to balance independence with vulnerability.

These hands shared their unique perspective of grief as a primary care physician, highlighting how their medical training shaped their understanding of loss. They explained that they often begin grieving loved ones before they pass, leading them to experience grief as a process of acceptance rather than immediate loss. They carry a sense of grief daily due to the nature of their work. They acknowledged that grief manifests in many forms and may resurface unexpectedly, but encouraged folks to seek help for complicated grief.

These hands define grief as the struggle associated with loss, particularly the death of loved ones, and emphasized the importance of discussing death openly, especially in a medical context. They reflected on the need for advance care planning, such as discussing Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders. They critiqued how some medical professionals avoid these conversations. They highlighted that death is an inevitable part of life and stressed the importance of having discussions about end-of-life wishes early.

These hands hold a stethoscope and explained that they wear a stethoscope not just as a professional symbol, but as a means to foster trust and connection with patients. It also serves as a reminder of the delicate nature of life and death they navigate daily.

These hands hold a relationship with grief and darkness. They described their early identification with grief and how they balance sorrow with humor, likening their experience to "Robin Williams Syndrome," where the funniest people often grapple with deep sadness. These hands find grief in everything, even in the mundane aspects of life - the “good grief” of it all. Losing something early in life helped them balance extremes of bright and lively with heavy and death.

These hands shared a personal story about their father's overdose when they were only 16 and subsequent recovery, noting how this event introduced them to the multifaceted nature of grief. For years, they wished he had simply died rather than enduring a prolonged suffering that strained a family further. Expressing this complexity often leads to judgment - people assume they are wishing harm upon their dad, which isn’t the case at all. It’s a nuanced grief, acknowledging the pain of what was missed and the reality of what is present.

These hands expressed a desire for more open discussions about grief, wishing people could handle its complexity better. They appreciate the opportunity to discuss these themes and hope there can be a cultural shift toward more understanding and acceptance of grief's various aspects. There is a desire for embracing the totality of grief, including its humor and its sadness. These hands are holding space for the full spectrum of the human experience.

These hands hold a relationship with grief and darkness. They described their early identification with grief and how they balance sorrow with humor, likening their experience to "Robin Williams Syndrome," where the funniest people often grapple with deep sadness. These hands find grief in everything, even in the mundane aspects of life - the “good grief” of it all. Losing something early in life helped them balance extremes of bright and lively with heavy and death.

These hands shared a personal story about their father's overdose when they were only 16 and subsequent recovery, noting how this event introduced them to the multifaceted nature of grief. For years, they wished he had simply died rather than enduring a prolonged suffering that strained a family further. Expressing this complexity often leads to judgment - people assume they are wishing harm upon their dad, which isn’t the case at all. It’s a nuanced grief, acknowledging the pain of what was missed and the reality of what is present.

These hands expressed a desire for more open discussions about grief, wishing people could handle its complexity better. They appreciate the opportunity to discuss these themes and hope there can be a cultural shift toward more understanding and acceptance of grief's various aspects. There is a desire for embracing the totality of grief, including its humor and its sadness. These hands are holding space for the full spectrum of the human experience.