Navigating the Winter of My Heart: Faith, Loss, and Renewed Purpose
The holidays are always complicated for me. Every December brings a flood of memories and emotions that I’d rather keep tucked away. Christmas was my mother’s favorite holiday, and her birthday falls just a few days before it. If she were still alive, she’d be turning 82 this year. Instead, I’m left remembering that in February 1998, I found her after she chose to end her own life. She warned so many people the night before, but no one reached out to me until it was too late. It’s something I still struggle to fully comprehend. Since then, December through February has become this long, heavy stretch of time where I find myself missing her, feeling her absence in every twinkling light and familiar holiday tune.