Grief is a journey.

The waves will hit you out of nowhere and without warning.

For instance, this dress.

I pulled this dress out of my closet a few weeks ago, with hesitation.

I needed a nice outfit for a dinner date my hubby had planned, and I knew this dress would be PERFECT…

Except the last time I wore it was to my grandpa’s funeral.

And part of me didn’t think I could wear it. The tears filled my eyes as I picked it up for the first time since I took it off that awful day.

It made me miss him so much. So much that I almost put in back on the hanger. How could I wear this to a happy occasion when it’s tainted with grief?

But I felt a tug at my heart that whispered, “grandpa would want you to wear the dress.”

And I smiled to myself because I knew that was true. He absolutely would want me to wear the dress. He would want me to make a special memory with my husband.

Even in that dress.
Especially in that dress.

Because if my grandpa taught me anything, it was to live life to the fullest. To make the mundane moments beautiful. To soak in the small things, because they’re really the big things.

So I wore the dress. And I’m pretty dang confident grandpa was smiling so big because I did.

Grief and joy? They can co-exist.

And what a beautiful gift that is.

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