April is the Cruelest Month . . .
"April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain." - T.S. Elio, The Waste Land
Dear Friends,
April is bittersweet.
It is the month where Spring flowers and flowering trees bring color back to the paper bag-brown landscape. Pollen aside, my heart rejoices at the scent of lilacs and hyacinths, and my eyes feast on the pale pink of the crabapple blossoms, the cream stars nestled in the pear trees, and the white and yellow faces of paper whites exploding in the herb garden.
It is also the 77th anniversary of my father’s liberation from a Nazi labor camp. My mother and I spent Easter Sunday morning at the cemetery, laying red roses and white pom flowers on his still unmarked grave. A wild wind whipped sand into my eyes and tiny shards of gravel dug into my knees as I struggled to keep the vase upright while my mother cried in the car.
It was a fitting scene for my emotional state in that moment.
The Haven Blog is Live!
This monthly newsletter is a wonderful way for me to keep in touch with you and give you a high-level view of what’s going on in both my writerly world and in the grief space. However, I realized three things:
Blogging was how I first began my online journey and I missed it.
There are other topics I’m passionate and curious about that I’d like to write about.
Although I do the bulk of my grief work on Clubhouse and IG, I wanted to engage with people on a deeper level than social media allows or expects.
And so, The Haven was born!
The Haven is the home of the blog on the Grief Curator website. The name comes from the little studio I’m building out in my backyard. And that is what I am building in the virtual world as well: a haven where you feel welcomed, seen, and heard.
I invite you to join the conversation over there by posting comments and questions, sharing the posts with your friends, and even applying to write a guest post!
Media Appearances
Kim Lengling has a wonderful podcast called Let Fear Bounce. I met Kim in a Clubhouse room all about podcasting and she invited me on to chat about grief and loss.
It is live now—please check it out where ever you listen to podcasts!
In March, my dear friend Erin Whalen also had me as a guest on her IG Live Series—Let’s Talk! We spoke about communication and grief Head over to her Instagram to listen to the replay!
If you have a podcast, or would like me to come on to your live to have a conversation about grief and loss or mental health advocacy, please email me at thegriefcurator@gmail.com.
Upcoming May Series
Lasty, I wanted to let you all know about a series I’ll launch in May around Women: Motherhood, Myth, and Mourning. The schedule of topics and guest speakers isn’t confirmed yet, but I will be announcing it on social media as well as including it in the May newsletter.
The series will be on Clubhouse as well as Instagram Live.
April may feel cruel for many of us, but hopefully we are surrounded by loved ones who have learned how to love us unconditionally and in the language we can hear. And if that is not the case, know that you are not alone and your community is out there.
For those who are celebrating Easter or Passover—especially those who are celebrating without loved ones—sending blessings and prayers for peace and healing.
~ Michelle