Grief Anniversaries: When Certain Dates Bring Memories Back

Some dates stay with us. Grief anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, and the moments our bodies seem to remember before we do.

In this episode of Love From the Inside Out, I’m reflecting on the emotional memory certain dates can hold, especially as I move through the month of May, which marks the anniversaries of both of my parents’ passing. My father passed away seven years ago on May 9th, and my mother passed away ten years ago on May 30th. With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day also falling around this season, May has become one of those times of year that feels layered before I even fully realize why.

This is not a heavy episode about grief. It’s more of a quiet reflection on how love, loss, memory, and the body can all meet on the calendar. Sometimes a date is just a date. And sometimes, inside of us, it carries a whole history.

I talk about how grief has softened over time, why I don’t always feel called to visit my parents at the cemetery, and how I still feel them most in ordinary moments — in the way I think, tell stories, make decisions, host people, choose words, and continue becoming myself.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt a certain date, holiday, season, or anniversary bring something back to the surface. Not because you’re stuck in the past, but because something in you remembers.

In this episode, I explore:

How the body can remember certain dates before the mind catches up
Why grief doesn’t always get easier, but can soften over time
The complicated emotions around Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and grief anniversaries
How loved ones can continue to feel present in ordinary, everyday moments
Why remembrance doesn’t have to look a certain way
How to move through meaningful dates with less pressure and more honesty

If this episode brings someone to mind, or if you know someone moving through a date or season that carries a lot for them, feel free to share it with them.

Sometimes it helps to hear someone else put words to something you’ve felt but maybe haven’t said out loud yet.