Grief Notes

I find Christmas griefy af. So, this year, I did an open call for people to submit voice notes to those they’re missing this year (or about them).

50 of you from around the world have joined me in doing so.

Messages to parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, children, friends and lost loves.

They’ve come together as three mini podcast episodes called Grief Notes, a collective act of remembrance. A project that normalises talking about death, loss enduring connections. Turning grief into something shareable and communal.

We met as a closed group to have a listening session, and I facilitated a creative, therapeutic workshop as part of the exchange.

The biggest, biggest thank you to everyone who has taken part / shared the project. I’ve never felt more filled up, in the best way.

I found textures and colours of my own grief in your grief. Expressions of longing I didn’t have words for. My story in your stories.

Our culture is obsessed with individuality. Like when people say that no snowflake is the same… but if you zoom out, and take it all in, they’re all kind of the same. We share in more than we think. We all just want more time with the people we love. And when they’re gone, we all miss them terribly.

Around the festive season, we are often under subtle pressure to move on from grief. To get over it. There’s no need for this. Your grief is testament to the ongoing love you have for others, it does not have an expiry date. Dwell in ‘hiraeth’ — which is a blend of homesickness, nostalgia and longing. It’s a pull on the heart towards a feeling of missing something irretrievably lost. Remember them, with sadness and joy. Honour them in quiet moments of reflection. Raise a glass to them, whether this is alone or at a party full of people. Speak to them. Howl their names at the moon, pals.

Listen here.