The Grief Of What's Gone by Sheryl Owens

I was drawn to this book after losing a loved one who would've turned thirty next year, same as me, it seems unreal we won't celebrate together. The book feels like a friend who understands, as the author does, set across different sections, The Quiet Hours the part of the book I found the most completely relatable to the times I have laid awake thinking of him, many tears, many nights writing thoughts, reading as I did this book in part in the early hours to feel a bit calmer and able to drift into sleep. Grief truly comes in random waves, I expect him to come home and be never will do again. The Firsts poem, about doing anything for the first time since they passed away is so heartbreakingly true as well, I've cried driving and had to pull over, I've cried at home and before losing him, no one in my friend group had even seen me cry, grief changes you and hits you randomly. There's a beautiful poem about carrying them with you in your mannerisms and I totally speak sometimes how he did with odd words and phrases he used I adapted to as well, in those times I feel love is reminding me he lives on in certain ways. A song for loss I found helpful is When You Lose Someone by Nina Nesbitt, I hope it helps if you listen to it to feel others get it and are here existing day to day learning how to live again after loss. A truly beautiful poetry collection.