The Holidays Are Coming, and Someone You Love Won't Be at the Table

If an empty chair is already sitting heavy on your heart, I want you to hear this from me:

You're allowed to leave early.
You're allowed to skip the tradition that hurts too much.
You're allowed to cry in the car, and then go back inside. Or not.

Grief doesn't take the holidays off. So this year, the goal isn't joy on cue. It's tenderness toward yourself, one day at a time.

I wrote a little companion for exactly this season, Gently Through the Holidays. It holds a Plan B, words for the hard conversations, and 31 gentle days to lean on. It's waiting below if you're ready. 

And if no one has said it yet: I'm so sorry you're missing them.