I’m back on the road again, making the drive from Washington (state) to Florida.

I’m in Star, ID tonight, staying with friends (Stacey & Dennis) and their two pups.

Tonight, it’s winter Solstice-the longest night of the year, but it’s more than that. 

It’s been ten years since Debbie, my best friend since junior high, died. A decade without her, so I can’t help but honor my feelings by reflecting on grief and loss.

Grief is a strange thing- it’s not just about death. I’m grieving people who are still alive but estranged. People who desperately need healing- physical, spiritual, emotional and relational. I grieve relationships that ended prematurely.. Connections that broke. Sometimes- some days, those losses hit just as hard as the ones where someone actually died.

I’m also thinking about the people I love who are grieving their own losses right now. There’s a lot of pain in the world, and sometimes all you can do is sit with it and acknowledge it’s there.

Winter solstice is the turning point. The longest night. After today, the light starts coming back, slowly.

We just have to keep moving forward until it does. And loving people every step of the way.