A feeling of pleasure or solace can be so hard to find when you are in the depths of your grief. Sometimes it's the little things that help get you through the day. You may think your comforts sound ridiculous to others, but there is nothing ridiculous about finding one little thing to help you feel good in the midst of pain and sorrow!

— Elizabeth Berrien

Each loss brings growth with it, and learning to handle new experiences and taking charge of your needs is part of the transformative process.

— Elizabeth Berrien

Everything assumes a different intensity when you are feeling the pain of loss. Be prepared. A minor annoyance that you might once have managed with a shrug now becomes a nuclear crisis! You are no doubt going to do things perfectly imperfectly. That is part of our path as humans. Forget about striving for perfection while dealing with grief! If you beat yourself up every time you forget something, have a breakdown, or don't do something correctly then you're going to end up very black and blue. I guarantee you won't want to look in the mirror! So be kinder and more patient with yourself.

— Elizabeth Berrien

I began to feel that nature itself was nurturing me, reminding me that life still offered beauty and calm, and that I was also made out of these elements.

— Elizabeth Berrien

I began to recognize that there was a part of me that was stronger than I ever could have imagined. I didn't know how I was still standing. Furthermore, I surprised myself. Furthermore, I was waking up to the fact that I was in charge of my own life, and it was my choice whether to sink or float.

— Elizabeth Berrien

I believe I gather strength from the generations of women who came before me - that together we all hold the suffering of the world.

— Elizabeth Berrien

In the first year of my grief, there were times when I felt like hiding my personal story of loss and other times when I wanted to wear a sign on my body that read "Be nice to me, I'm grieving," or "Don't tick me off; I've already got the world on my shoulders," or maybe even "BEWARE - don't upset the widow!" I needed a variety of signs that I could switch out depending on my daily mood.

— Elizabeth Berrien

It is important to recognize when you have been detached from life for too long. The fact is you are still alive, and I can only imagine that your loved one would want you to go on living. I highly doubt they would have said to you, "When or if I die before you, I want you to spend the rest of your life sitting on a couch staring at the wall. Please fulfill this important task for me.

— Elizabeth Berrien

It is okay to release your feelings when you feel the waves coming. It's all part of the process of having to let go of your relationship with your loved one as you once knew it. And remember, letting go is not the same thing as forgetting!

— Elizabeth Berrien

It is true that the grief journey is very lonely, but it is also up to you to decide just how lonely you will make it.

— Elizabeth Berrien