Ten years ago, I lost my husband. Almost three years ago, I lost Gary.

In between those losses, I learned something most women are never formally taught: 

• how to keep showing up while your heart is breaking.
• How to be strong for your children.
• How to be steady for your business. How to sit composed in rooms that have no idea what you’re carrying.
• And how to rebuild… without erasing who you were before the loss.

But life did not slow down to allow grief to arrive neatly.

In the midst of rebuilding, I received a call no mother is ever prepared for. My daughter-in-law called to say my 32-year-old son had suffered a massive stroke in Cincinnati. She was numb. Decisions had to be made quickly — including emergency surgery — and she didn’t know what to do. So I did what women often do. I stepped into strength. I shifted into “mom mode” and helped her navigate the terrain.

During surgery, he suffered another stroke. His skull had to be removed to save his life. By the grace of God, he survived. His recovery continues. But he is alive.

On the days when the weight of it all feels heavy, I remind myself of something that keeps my heart anchored in gratitude: some people wait their entire lives to experience deep love from one person. I was blessed to be loved well by two men — my husband and Gary — in ways many women only dream of. For that, I remain profoundly grateful. This experience was born from that tension, between grief and gratitude, between strength and exhaustion, between survival and intentional rebuilding. Because restoration is not about pretending it didn’t happen. It is about deciding who you will be because it did.