Dear Friends,
Decaying stumps and felled trees dot the trail. Signs of death live alongside vibrant, unfurling ferns in this dense Oregon forest. And so go our lives. Amazing nurse logs (learn more) and fellow travelers remind us that loss, healing, and rebirth are intertwined.
“Grief is tidal. In time, it can recede and leave us with feelings of peace and advancement, only for it to wash back in with all its crushing hopelessness and sorrow. Back and forth it goes, but with each retreating drift of despair, we are left a little stronger, more resilient, more essential and better at our new life.” ~Nick Cave
Writing “When You Are Gone to Me” helped me mourn my losses and affirm that those we have lost live on, helping make the way for us.
"When we begin a new job, marriage or friendship or join a band or a book club or move to a new city, we usually don’t spend much time imagining how it might end. Thankfully we jump in, head and heart first.
But sometimes endings do come. Change, the curse and opportunity of being human, is inevitable…" read more
“When a painful loss or life-shattering event upends your world, here is the first thing to know: there is nothing wrong with grief. ‘Grief is simply love in its most wild and painful form,’ says Megan Devine. ‘It is a natural and sane response to loss.’
So, why does our culture treat grief like a disease to be cured as quickly as possible?
In It’s OK That You’re Not OK, Megan Devine offers a profound new approach to both the experience of grief and the way we try to help others who have endured tragedy. Having experienced grief from both sides―as both a therapist and as a woman who witnessed the accidental drowning of her beloved partner―Megan writes with deep insight about the unspoken truths of loss, love, and healing. She debunks the culturally prescribed goal of returning to a normal, “happy” life, replacing it with a far healthier middle path, one that invites us to build a life alongside grief rather than seeking to overcome it.”
Coastal waterfall in Oswald West State Park, Oregon
Hugs and hope, Joy
P.S. Stay tuned for the release of my new single, “Be the Reason,” on May 30th!
Joy Zimmerman is a folk and acoustic roots singer-songwriter who creates community through music. Her latest album, Where the Light Lives, debuted at #6 on the Folk Alliance International Chart, adding to a growing list of accolades and awards. A multi-instrumentalist with a rich, clear voice, Joy blends insightful songwriting, fiddle tunes, and storytelling into performances that leave a lasting impact. Dani Goodband of Lakeside Music calls her “a show any host would line up to present.” joyzimmermanmusic.com