June 2026 Edition

Connecting Albert County is now available in audio format! CAC is proud to sponsor the Albert County Museum and the launch of their new exhibit: The Hillsborough Mastodon! Learn about their opening night, as well as so many other interesting things about your community! Did you know June marked 100 years since the Alma Fire? That the Molly Kool Centre has artists in residence? Or the amazing work the Shepody Food Bank Does?  How would you start dabbling in herbalism? Being a leader when grief strikes in your business or organization? And what do you need to know about keeping your puppers safe for summer? All this and more in this month's edition of CAC! Check it out!

Connecting Albert County thanks our presenting sponsor, the Bennett & Albert County Healthcare Foundation.

For more information on Connecting Albert County, please go to our website or find us on Facebook or Instagram.

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to the June 2026 edition of Connecting Albert County. This is the monthly publication with all of the main stories for your listening pleasure. We want to thank Adrian Sharp for recording these for us this month. We appreciate your dedication and volunteerism. Without further ado, here are the articles and main stories for June 2026 in Albert County.

Strong Community Needs Volunteers

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Volunteers needed to work together for a strong community. Submitted by Derek Lackey, CCRC Secretary. The Chivadee Community's Revitalization Committee, CCRC for short, works to make Albert County a better place to live. And we've been pretty busy lately. We're moving the Anderson Lighthouse to its new home. We run a Chase the Ace fundraiser that brings neighbors out and money in. We award an annual bursary to a local student heading off into the world. We hold community events throughout the year, and we're working hard to save the old bank in Riverside Albert. But you know, none of that happens without big-hearted volunteers. And right now we could use a few more. To be specific, we have multiple openings on three committees. You don't need to sit on the board, you don't need a fancy title, you just need to show up and pitch in where you can and when you can. Events. If you like putting things together, a marketplace, a festival, a workshop, a gathering on a Saturday afternoon, this is your spot. We need people on the events committee who can help plan, set up, and pull off events. On the fundraising committee, good ideas cost money. This committee finds it. Grant writing, organizing fundraisers, talking to local businesses about sponsorship. If you've done this kind of work before, great. If you haven't but want to learn, also great. The Communication Committee, getting the word out from strategy to execution of posters, Facebook posts, articles, photos at events, we get it done. If you write, design, take pictures, or know your way around social media, we could use your skills and help you improve them. About the time commitment. It varies. Some months one committee is flat out and another is quiet. We're not going to take over your life. Tell us what you can give and we'll work with it. One thing worth saying, you don't have to be from here to belong. We've got people on this committee who grew up in Albert County and people who moved in last year. Both kinds matter. If you live here, you count. To get involved, email us at shippitycrc at gmail.com. Tell us which committee caught your eye, or just say hi and we'll figure it out together. We're not trying to change the world. We're trying to keep our corner of it strong. 2026 Albert County Exhibition Youth Ambassador Program, submitted by Rhonda McKinley, Albert Career Development Center. We're proud to announce an exciting new opportunity for 2026 Albert County Exhibition. The Albert County Career Development Center is pleased to sponsor and organize the Albert County Exhibition Youth Ambassador Program, a new initiative designed to encourage youth involvement and leadership within our local community. Who can apply? This program is open to high school students grades 9 to 12 as of September 2026 who live within the Albert County boundaries. The students selected as the 2026 ACE Youth Ambassador will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Additional prizes are awarded to all participants. The Albert County Exhibition Youth Ambassador Program aims to promote increased awareness and engagement among local youth in the ACE, provide opportunities for leadership development, encourage positive representation of youth within the community, invite fresh ideas, creativity, and enthusiasm to support the future growth of the exhibition. Participants will play an active role in shaping the future of the Albert County Exhibition while gaining valuable experience and community involvement. The responsibilities of the Ambassador, the 2026 ACE Youth Ambassador, will be actively involved in the exhibition and related events, such as participating at the announcers booth, taking part in the exhibition parade, supporting the ACA activities throughout the year, and attending events at Alton Hall. This is a prime opportunity for students to share their ideas, build leadership skills, and make a meaningful contribution to their community. Your voice matters and your ideas are valued. For any questions or inquiries, please contact Rhonda McKinley on Facebook, Messenger at the Alba Career Development Center page, or email avtc26 at proton.me or phone 506-882-2604. Community Greenhouse Update submitted by Alicia O'Hara Sanford, social worker and Fundy Albert Community Greenhouse Committee member. The Fundy Albert Community Greenhouse Project continues to grow, literally. Looking back, it's hard to believe that what began as a conversation about food security and student wellness has now become an exciting addition to Caledonia Regional High School. We're thrilled to share that the greenhouse has officially been installed, and wow, is it ever impressive! A 25 by 48-foot fully polycarbonate structure for maximum weather resistance and structure longevity. At this stage, we're currently waiting for final electrical and water hookups before planting inside the greenhouse can fully begin. Even so, the project is already coming to life. Students have started tomatoes and peppers and are beginning to gain hands-on experience in seed starting, plant care, and food production. The greenhouse is designed to be much more than a growing space. It will serve as a living classroom and community food hub where students can learn about agriculture and the importance of local food systems. Produce grown through the project will support free school food programming with extras being shared with the community. Projects like this do not happen without community support. We would like to recognize and sincerely thank the individuals, organizations, and funders who have helped move this vision forward. In particular, local contributions from both Omista Credit Union and Bennett and Albert County Healthcare Foundation. Both organizations contributed $10,000 toward the project and helped bridge the final funding gap for the greenhouse. As Tammy Christopher, CEO of OMISTA Credit Union previously shared, at OMISTA we believe in the cooperative principle of concern for the communities we call home. Supporting the Fundy Albert Community Greenhouse Project is exactly what that looks like in action. This initiative builds food security, supports hands-on learning, and strengthens the community from the ground up. As a certified Bee Corporation credit union, we're proud to help grow something truly meaningful for Fundy Albert. The Bennett and Albert County Healthcare Foundation also highlighted the connection between the project and community wellness through their support. Bob Rochon, chair of the foundation, shared, the Bennett and Albert County Healthcare Foundation is proud to be a financial supporter of the Fundy Albert Community Greenhouse Project in Fundy Albert. Initiatives like this promote wellness and community connection, which align closely with the Foundation's mission to advance community health and wellness. Large community infrastructure projects require tremendous collaboration, persistence, and belief in a shared vision. From grant writing to planning, partnerships, and volunteer support, this project has truly been built by community. And now, after many months of work, that vision is standing tall beside the school, with the growing season soon to begin. Stay tuned for more updates. Adventures of a Dog Breeder and Trainer, The Salt and Pine Method. Submitted by Shannon Macbeth, owner and trainer, Shakespeare's Legacy Labradors. If you've been following along with our salt and pine training methods, you've now ensured your dog knows their name and is coming to you when called, not begrudgingly, but with enthusiasm and a wagging tail. The next step is to have them stay with you, staying engaged with you in an area with distractions. It will take a few steps, but together we can get there. Let's start by looking at the salt or the challenge you're facing with your dog. You've taken Scout to your child's soccer game, and all he wants to do is chase the players and the ball. He's pulling to the extent of his leash, barking excitedly, and those around you are staring and thinking your dog is a bad dog. Or your precious Mabel out for a walk, and that one dog that drives her mad is approaching with their owner. We know what's about to happen. The growling, the barking, the pulling, and the embarrassment because your dog is not behaving as per social expectations and acceptances. These, as well as similar situations, can be very frustrating. If you don't know how to handle them, resulting in doing all the wrong things, we tend to bargain with treats, which is actually rewarding the unwanted behavior. Or we try to soothe them, which tells them their fearful behavior is warranted. Or lastly, we apply negative pressure by scolding, pulling at them, and allowing our embarrassment and frustration to take over. Now comes the pine, or the training portion of the salt and pine training method. We need to get to the root of the situation before we can help our dogs get past it. Let me start with this. Reactive dogs are not bad dogs. They're fearful dogs, and we place them in a situation that's making them uncomfortable and afraid without the tools to help them build their confidence and security. We need to ensure our dog is safe in the environment. Once they are, we're going to become the most boring thing in the room. The strategy is called sitting on the dog. No, we aren't actually going to sit on the dog. We're simply going to attach a leash to their collar or harness, sit ourselves in a chair as well as on the leash while we wait until the dog has calmed and settled at our feet. No words, no eye contact, no emotion. They need to figure out how to self-soothe and self-calm, similar to handling a toddler who's throwing a fit at nap time. This is something that should first be trained at home before taking the training into the real world. Remember to move slowly, start at a distance from their triggers, and slowly move forward as their confidence and ability to self-soothe grows. This can make or break your training, so start small. You need to watch your dog closely to ensure they aren't crossing their tolerance threshold. Once this happens, your training is done for that session, as they haven't been able to self-soothe or regulate. Put distance between your dog and their trigger, and as they return to calm, slowly decrease the distance. To test if they are within their threshold parameters, ask them for a few basic cues, such as sitting or responding to their name. As soon as they begin to struggle with offering these known behaviors to stop moving forward and instead return to a trainable distance. As time passes, the distance will continue to decrease until they are hopefully able to move past their trigger without any sort of reaction. Remember to reward the calmness each and every time your dog offers it to you, especially in a setting with distractions. Please keep in mind that the harder the request, the more value the treat will need to be. The kibble that works at home with no triggers is not going to have the same result when facing more distractions and triggers. Training should be quick, simple, and painless. If you're feeling frustrated, rushed, etc., save the training for a time you both are calm and ready. If training starts well but suddenly goes sideways, offer one last reward for the attempt and end the session. There could be many factors that go into a training session that doesn't seem to be working. So it's best to just shut it down and try again later instead of allowing frustrations to increase on both parts. This type of training will not be a quick and easy process. Consider it as taking root and helping your dog grow into the dog you know they can be. It takes time, but the results are worth it. An analysis of Mary Stewart's Collect, part six, submitted by June Crandall, contributing author. Grant that we may realize that it is the little things that create differences, that in the big things of life we are one. Overall, this short paragraph presents a powerful message about human unity and the importance of perspective with words such as differences, little things versus big things, and humans being one. Essentially, this paragraph directs us to ask for the wisdom to recognize that many conflicts and divisions arise from little things, while the big things of life reveal a deeper common ground between people. Shared experiences and values that connect humanity by far transcend everyday disagreements, personal preferences or social distinctions. So the question becomes can we look beyond minor differences and focus on what unites them? One must ask. If you read closely, this sentence is in two distinct parts. The first recognizes differences we all share, while the second accentuates unity. It's essential to understand that these are both distinct and natural realities of human life. Differences do exist, but they should not overshadow the larger truth of common humanity. Common humanity is what Mary Stewart recognized so profoundly as she crafted this collect. She reminds us to reject the petty, the small, the unimportant, and to be adorned with compassion, with kindness, with understanding. Such action, with its lasting impact, comes from its timeless truth. People may differ in minor ways, but at a deeper level, they are connected by a common humanity. Albert County to welcome 80,000-year-old Hillsborough Mastodon home. Submitted by Janet Clowston, manager, Albert County Museum. Imagine standing eye to eye with a towering 80,000-year-old mastodon that once roamed the forests of Albert County. On Saturday, June 6, 2026, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Albert County Historical Society invites the public to celebrate the grand opening of the Hillsborough Mastodon exhibit at the Albert County Museum's Exhibition Hall. Tickets for the opening celebration and fundraising evening are $50 and include food, beverages, live music, and prize drawers. Proceeds will support the creation of a permanent museum quality exhibit that brings one of New Brunswick's most important paleontological discoveries back to its home county. In 1936, workers on Conrad Osman's property in Hillsborough uncovered one of the most complete mastodon skeletons ever found in North America. Nicknamed Marmaduke, the young adult mastodon, estimated 15 to 18 years old, left behind 312 fossils. For nearly 90 years, these remains have been housed at the New Brunswick Museum in St. John. Now the Albert County Historical Society is commissioning a stunning, life-size, scientifically accurate replica to be displayed for the first time in Albert County. The new exhibit will feature the full Mastodon replica standing over eight feet tall, set within a detailed diorama of its ancient forested habitat, along with replica fossils and artifacts on loan from the New Brunswick Museum. Local artist and sculptor Robin Hansen of French Lake has been commissioned to create the Mastodon. Hansen, whose buster Prime Minister R. B. Bennett is already on display at the museum's courthouse, said, I'm deeply honored to bring this piece of New Brunswick's ancient story back to life right here at home with local hands and hearts. ACHS president Don McLean explains the Mastodon Natural History Exhibit will take museum visitors back in time in Earth's history to learn about the climate, landscape, and life of ice age giants roaming where we live today. A fascinating learning experience for everyone. The project has received partial funding from the Government of New Brunswick Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, with support from the New Brunswick Museum for its important loan, and the UNESCO Fundy Biosphere Region and Stonehammer Geopark. Something cool at the Molly Cool, Artist in Residency. Submitted by Mike Cafardi, Executive Director of Friends of Fundy. There is something cool beginning to take shape at the Molly Cool Heritage Center located in Fundy National Park. This summer, Friends of Fundy, in partnership with the UNESCO designated Fundy Biosphere Region and Fundy National Park has invited four artists to help develop the Molly Cool Heritage Center Artist in Residency program. Inspired by the spirit of Captain Molly Cool, North America's first licensed woman sea captain, the residency will invite artists to spend time in the Bay of Fundy region exploring how creativity can deepen our relationship with landscape, culture, and one another. The long term vision for the Molly Cool Heritage Center is to become not only A place where history is preserved, but a gathering place where stories continue to evolve through art, learning, and shared experiences. The residency program is still very much in its learning phase, but we're excited to welcome the first artist this season, New Brunswick painter Jill McNair. Jill will be in residence from June 29th to July 5th. Many visitors already know Jill's work from the Friends of Fundy Outpost gift shops, where her nature-inspired paintings have become a favorite among visitors and locals alike. After a career in education, Jill became widely recognized for her artwork celebrating the natural beauty of New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada. Her paintings can now be found in homes and galleries across the region, from Fredericton to Moncton and beyond. During her residency, Jill hopes to spend time exploring the landscapes and ecosystems of the Fundy region, drawing inspiration from the colors, textures, tides, and forms that make this place so distinct. The residency program encourages artists to engage directly with the community through conversations, workshops, storytelling, and shared creative experiences. At least one new piece of art will be created during each residency period, with participating artists contributing work to the residency art exhibit during the Rising Tide Trails and Tunes Festival in October 2026. Other artists joining us this summer include Rhonda Cynthia Fraser from July 6th to July 11th, Emily Jane Kelly from July 18th to July 26th, and Anne Pichet July 28th to August 6th. Full descriptions for these artists will be included in the July connecting Albert County. The Molly Cool Center has long been home to community events. This developing residency will offer new ways to experience the Fundy region and further strengthen communities, celebrate culture, and care for the lands and waters that we all share. As the residency evolves over time, organizers hope it will continue to grow as a meaningful platform for artists, residents, and visitors alike, carrying forward the legacy of Molly Cool through creativity, stewardship, and shared experiences rooted in the Bay of Fundy. Spring and while living, submitted by Ursula Kovex, folk herbalist and owner of Salt Blossom Botanicals, located at the Wild Soul on Route 114 in Riverside Albert. Spring arrives slowly along the Fundy Coast, not all at once, and certainly not with any regard for our personal patients levels. I've a strong sense a good many of us probably fall in this category. This winter seemed especially long. One day there is still snow hiding stubbornly in the ditch, and the next someone is standing outside in sandals insisting it's beautiful out, while visibly shivering in the driveway. The crowds. The crows get louder, the mud gets deeper, and suddenly every one of us becomes deeply invested in inspecting tiny green things emerging from the earth, like amateur botanists with no formal training whatsoever. And honestly, it feels wonderful. It feeds the soul in ways that words can't always convey. After a long winter of snow drifts, nor'easters, icy winds, lugging firewood, comfort food, and seriously questioning why we continue living where the air hurts our face for half the year, spring begins waking something ancient in us again. We start wandering outdoors. We crouch awkwardly beside patches of emerging greens. We lean in with bated breath for the sound of peepers at last. We come back into the house carrying spruce tips, muddy boots, and occasionally a mysterious leaf we're now emotionally attached to, but still need to identify properly. It woke up something primal in us, and it's a color other than white or brown. For generations, people lived closely with the plants around them. They knew which herbs emerged first after winter, which roots nourished tired bodies, and which teas soothed coughs, nerves, or weary spirits after long cold months. The landscape was not simply scenery, it was a pantry, medicine cabinet, teacher, and companion. Somewhere along the way, much of that knowledge quieted beneath grocery store aisles and glowing screens. Yet every spring the earth gently reminds us that the old ways are still here, patiently waiting beneath our feet, calling us out to explore. Take dandelions, for example, perhaps the most unfairly judged plant in existence. Entire suburban wars have been declared against them, yet these cheerful little golden rebels have been treasured for generations in herbal traditions. Their young leaves are rich and bitter in the best possible way, helping awaken digestion after a winter diet largely supported by bread, meat, potatoes, soup, and just one more comfort meal because it's snowing again. Pasta, I'm looking at you. The flowers of these sweet sunshine stars themselves can be infused into oils, teas, and syrups with incredible benefits all around. Then come fiddleheads curling up along riverbanks like tiny woodland scrolls, arriving just in time to remind us that spring foraging also includes mud, mosquitoes, wet socks, and the occasional moment of questioning our life choices while balancing on slippery rocks. We've all been there, right? Nettles emerge too, deeply nourishing and absolutely committed to enforcing personal boundaries. Anyone who has confidently grabbed nettles barehanded exactly once tends to become a very fuzz learner. Yet beneath their sting is one of spring's greatest gifts, mineral-rich greens, long treasured for replenishing the body after winter. And an FYI, they are viewed as the new superfood. Word is getting out. Then one of my personal favorites after nettles, spruce tips, these bright green little jewels appearing at the end of evergreen branches just before summer arrives. Their scent alone feels like standing in the woods after a rain, immersed deeply within the coniferous community. Steeped into tea, syrup, finishing salts, or infused into honey, they carry the flavor of the forest itself, bright, wild, resinous, and impossible to mistake for anything but from the wilds. There is something deeply human about learning the names and stories of the plants growing around us. Not in a live entirely off the grid and churn your own butter sort of way, although honestly, some days that sounds increasingly like a solid plan, but in the sense that we begin remembering we're part of the natural world, not separate from it. As we move toward the summer solstice and the season of gardens, herbs, salty air, and long twilight evenings, perhaps this is spring's real invitation, to step outside with intention and gratitude, to notice what's growing nearby, to gather a few leaves or flowers with care and curiosity, to ask questions, to open old books, to speak with gardeners, foragers, and elders who still carry pieces of this knowledge. Brew a simple tea, learn the name of one wild plant you've passed a hundred times before. Start small. Wonder does not require expertise. Reconnecting with the earth does not ask us to become perfect herbalists overnight. It simply asks us to pay attention again, take a breath, and be present. Steward the earth and teach others. And perhaps, just perhaps, after all this time, we're finally ready to listen. The six myths of grief we've been taught and why they don't really help. Submitted by Melody Land, LCT, with Blue Mind Counseling and Consulting. Most of us grow up learning about grief without ever really talking about it. We lose a beloved pet, maybe a grandparent. We observe our parents, family members, and even our whole community experiencing loss, and how we cope often reflects what we see. Oftentimes, even most of the time, it's incredibly uncomfortable, and so we avoid it, push it aside, and definitely try not to talk about it. Maybe during the funeral a few expressions on a Facebook post, and then we move on, right? Here's the kicker. That often surprises us. Grief is not only about death. People grieve divorce, illness, lost friendships, estrangement, moving away, job loss, addiction, trauma, lost dreams, and changes in identity. We grieve the lives we thought we would have. We grieve people who are still alive. We grieve communities, relationships, routines, and even versions of ourselves. Even losses related to changes we would consider good, like buying a new home or getting a new job, can cause grief. I meet people in my practice who come in without words for what they're feeling. They aren't sure why they're feeling off, having uncomfortable emotions, difficult mental health symptoms, or sometimes having certain physical health issues. Something I've discovered time and time again that often what I am witnessing is layers of unidentified, unexpressed, incomplete grief. We hear little sayings from childhood. Time heals all wounds. Everything happens for a reason. People usually mean well when they say these things. They're trying to comfort us, or maybe trying to make us feel less alone. But for many people who are grieving, these messages do not actually help. In fact, they can sometimes make grief feel heavier. Sometimes they can actually cause harm. When we don't fully allow ourselves to feel our grief and instead replace it with some of the myths we'll discuss in a minute, we can get stuck in something called incomplete grief, which can have long-term lasting effects. The book, The Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James and Russell Friedman, talks about what they call the myths of grief. These myths are ideas that many of us were taught, but they're lessons that can make it harder to heal after loss. Here are six common myths about grief and why it may be time to rethink them. Myth one, don't feel bad. From the time we're little, many of us are taught to avoid painful feelings. If a child falls down, someone quickly says, You're okay, before the child even decides whether they're okay. If someone is grieving, people rush in with silver linings or encouragement meant to cheer them up. Grief does not disappear just because we try to push it aside. Sadness, anger, confusion, guilt, loneliness, numbness, these are all normal human responses to loss. Feelings are not problems to solve. They're signals that something important happened. Trying not to feel grief often means carrying it longer. Sometimes healing begins with not fixing the feeling, but with finally allowing it to exist. Myth number two, replace the loss. Another message many people hear is that they should quickly replace what they've lost. After a divorce, someone says, you'll find someone else. After the death of a pet, just get another one. After a job loss, well, at least now you can move on. Here's the reality: people and experiences are not interchangeable. A new relationship does not erase the pain of an old one. Another dog is not the same dog. A new chapter does not cancel the hurt from the last one. Moving forward is possible, but pretending a loss can be simply swapped out often leaves people feeling unseen. Grief asks to be acknowledged before we rush to replace it. And even if what you are moving from and moving into is a positive thing, it doesn't mean the change isn't hard. It doesn't mean the hurt from before stops existing. Myth number three, grieve alone. Many of us were raised to believe grief should be private. You've probably seen it or done it yourself. People disappear into work, isolate themselves, cry behind closed doors. They apologize for being emotional. They worry about being too much. I remember my nanny coming home from my grandfather's funeral, letting out a strangled sigh and saying, Well, at least I got through it without crying. Especially in rural communities like our incredible Albert County, there can be a strong culture of toughness and independence. People pride themselves on carrying on. Grit and determination is admirable and incredibly valuable, don't get me wrong. But grief is heavy to carry completely alone. Humans heal in connection. That doesn't mean everyone needs to share every detail publicly, but having even one safe person, one honest conversation, or one place where you don't have to pretend can make a tremendous difference. Sometimes the bravest thing a person can say is simply, I'm not doing okay. Myth number four, be strong for others. This one sounds noble, and sometimes it is necessary in moments of crisis. Parents still need to care for children. People still have responsibilities. Be calm and carry on has its place. However, many grieving people become so focused on protecting everyone else that they never allow themselves space to grieve. Instead, they become the organizer, the helper, the calm one, the strong one, and their own pain quietly waits in the background. Real strength isn't pretending nothing hurts. Often real strength is honesty and vulnerability. It allows children to see healthy emotions. It's admitting when you're struggling, it's accepting help instead of always giving it. Being human is not a weakness. Myth number five, time heals all wounds. This may be one of the most repeated phrases about grief. And yes, I've even said it myself. The reality, you can lose someone at 20 and still feel grief at 60. You can still remember a conversation, a smell, a song, or a moment decades later. Unspoken grief doesn't magically disappear because enough calendar pages pass. The truth is, while time can soften some pain, time alone does not heal everything. Time passing isn't a signifier of healing. It's how you use that time that does the healing part. Talking, processing, being witnessed, bearing witness, expressing emotion, finding meaning, allowing ourselves to remember, instead of avoiding the memory, these are all healing actions. Healing requires action, not just endurance. Myth number six, keep busy. When people are grieving, they're often encouraged to stay distracted. Clean the house, go back to work, get a hobby, stay productive, keep moving. You've heard all the suggestions too, I'm sure. Routines can help and activity can be healthy. However, constant busyness can also become a way to avoid pain. When busyness replaces emotion, when we try to fill the empty space with activity, we're bound to run into trouble. Most people discover that grief catches up eventually, often in quiet moments when distractions disappear. A person can stay busy for years and still carry unresolved heartbreak underneath. Rest matters, reflection matters, grieving matters. We're not machines meant to power through loss without stopping. Maybe we need better conversations about grief. One of the hardest parts of grief is how alone people can feel inside it. It often isn't because others don't care or because we don't care for others, but because many of us were never taught how to talk about loss honestly. And that's not your fault or anyone else's. We try to cheer people up instead of listening. We offer advice instead of presence. We rush people through grief because discomfort makes us nervous. We don't always know a different way. Where we can start is remembering that grief is not something to get over. It's something people learn to carry differently over time, sometimes through relearning, sometimes through experience, sometimes even through getting help from others. As we are all on a grief journey, and we all are in one way or the other, one of the most healing things we can offer each other is permission to be real, to remember that not every grief story has a neat ending, and that no one should have to feel ashamed for grieving. Remember, grief is not a sign that something went wrong. It's often a sign of something that went gloriously right. It's often a reflection of love, connection, hope, and the deep human reality that what mattered to us also has the power to hurt when it changes or disappears. In my opinion, that's not a weakness at all. It's what it means to care deeply, and nothing makes us stronger than being brave enough to truly care.