The Grief that Wouldn't Leave

Dear Delyara, Losing my brother was a 'Storm' that didn't have an end date. For two years, I lived in a grey world where the wind never stopped blowing. I couldn't focus at work, I couldn't be a good partner, and I couldn't find the 'Victoria' everyone told me was coming. The reality of grief is that it’s a 'Grind'—you just wake up and hurt, over and over. I thought I was losing my mind. But then, I started writing to him. Every night, I wrote down one thing I remembered. The storm didn't go away, but I built a shelter inside it. My Victoria wasn't 'getting over it.' It was the day I could talk about him and laugh instead of cry. The victory was realizing that love is stronger than the storm of death. He isn't a shadow anymore; he is a light that guides me.