Because of Emily
A Grief Blog Centered Around Stories of Love and Loss
Sharing Emily, One Story at a Time
Welcome to Because of Emily, a grief blog where love and loss intertwine. Here, I share stories of my love, Emily—her life, her legacy, and how she inspires me even after her death.
Emily had big dreams for the future, dreams to make the world a better place. While she only completed a small number of these goals, I believe that sharing my grief journey with others can help her continue to change the world, even in death.
I hope that sharing my story helps others recognize the complexities of grief and embrace life wholeheartedly, just the way Emily did.
"Live a Wholehearted Life"
These were the words Emily lived by from the moment she received a life-changing heart transplant on December 23, 2017 until she died almost five years later. She felt a profound calling to make the most of her life and maintain her donor’s legacy. Now, I am doing the same, keeping both Emily (and her donor) alive through the stories I share and the actions I take to make this world a better place.
Recent Reflections
Because Everyone Needs Effective Grief Coping Mechanisms
A couple of weeks ago, I decided it was finally time to do a massive purge and start letting go of some of the clutter that had piled up. But each box I opened felt like it contained tiny landmines. Keys still attached to a wristlet that says “Emily.” A book we bought...
Because Visiting Hard Places Helps With Grief (Even if It Feels Impossible)
Grief can turn places into landmines, but exposure therapy helped me revisit one of the hardest places in my grief journey.
Because Living in the Present Doesn’t Mean I Let Go of the Past
Even though Emily has been gone for two and a half years, I experienced a brand new thing today: she wasn’t the first person I wanted to talk to about a situation. As soon as I realized that someone else crossed my mind to call, I felt the blood leave my face. My...
Because I Hesitated
For me, November 30 is an important day. I often think of it as my version of October 3rd (Emily would love the Mean Girls reference). It's probably a bit romanticized if you stop to think about it, though. Yes, it was the day I realized how I felt about Emily....
Because the Pleasure Was More Than Worth the Pain
Earlier this week, I threw a question out into the universe of social media: "If you've lost a spouse, what's something you've learned along your journey that you wish you'd known beforehand (or at least sooner than you did)?If you haven't yet experienced this type of...
Because I’ll Never Be Her
During my therapy session yesterday, we spent the last 15 or so minutes talking about how revisiting my values and goals went. Thankfully, my values didn't seem to shift at all in the aftermath of the breakup with Kaylee. And, with the exception of a few goals...