This poem, titled "Hurricane," is an example, as all true poetry tends to be, of exploring an element of life with such clarity and finding cause to look inward. If we're mindful and willing, what happens around us can be a catalyst for self-understanding. We learn that we see in the world what we carry in our hearts.

This standalone verse you might've seen circling the internet: I have not heard your voice in years, but my heart has conversations with you every day. I call it Heart Conversations, an ode to the intimate dialogue that carries on after someone we love dies. I thought it time to revisit this poem and that conversation.

My favorite poems about grief do either one of two things: express my own experience in words in a way I never could or call on me to think differently about my experience. It’s a special thing when a poem can do both. Today I’m paying forward a beautiful grief poem written by Denise Levertov. May it call up your compassion the way it does for me.

Over a decade after losing my brother to suicide, I still wonder “Why him?” and grieve for what could have been. We need to be allowed those times, too. We need to say “Let me be angry.” “Let me have this pain.” “Let me find my way through it.” We must be allowed to be real and human. There is always work to be done.

These November affirmations are my tribute to a time of sacred intent and a token of my growing fondness for the journey that links all things. These affirmations are small decisions to carry on with the meaningful and often demanding work you feel called to do. To stay true to the process. To trust in what we love.

Our wedding vows are an ode to the power of love, and friendship, and hope. Because that's how we make it through the difficult things. Our special day, like all I ever share here in writing, was a celebration of how far we’ve all come, and who we've chosen to become. I hope our wedding vows make you feel something.

Letting yourself not just navigate this season, but seeing yourself as inherently part of that process is a radical way of looking at life. It changes almost, if not every single thing. It's a way to find your footing in the world and in this moment, a matter of forgiving yourself and the past enough to move forward.

Before anything else, it’s okay to admit you’re not perfect or good all the time. It’s okay to admit that some days, weeks, and seasons are much harder than others. Hiccups are part of life. So are you. When you feel as volatile as a storm, try using these affirmations for mood swings. So you can get on with your life.

In honor of our loved ones who have passed, I wrote a poem. For me, they speak most clearly through poetry. It also seems like when we put down what we're carrying, let the past rest, and embrace the moment we're standing in instead, we have a better chance of feeling their presence. May this poem help you do just that.

Courage is the virtue that drives us to follow through with our intentions & to embody all the virtues we identify with. Courage is many things: showing up for difficult discussions, choosing vulnerability over comfort, forgiving ourselves & each other. Together, we can practice courage in small ways. It's how we grow.