Whispers in
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Give Yourself Permission This Holiday Season: The Gentler Way to Celebrate (or Not)

This holiday season, release the pressure to perform. Learn to give yourself permission to rest, grieve, simplify, and celebrate in ways that feel true to you, not forced.

Val Blair

Nov 75 min read

Person in coat takes photo of colorful light tunnel with phone. Blurry crowd and vibrant pink, blue, and yellow lights create festive mood.

Social Media and Grief: What I Learned About Sharing Loss Online

Exploring grief and social media: how sharing loss online can bring comfort, connection, and boundaries while navigating the digital age.

Val Blair

Sep 194 min read

What Grief Gave Me: Healing After Grief Through Small Moments

In What Grief Gave Me, Val Blair reflects on loss, small signs like bees and dragonflies, and the quiet ways grief softens us into healing.

Val Blair

Sep 75 min read

✨ “Grief isn’t only sadness. Sometimes it carries small flashes of joy, too — both are part of the walk.” Grief is one of the most universal human experiences, yet it never arrives the same way twice. Who we lose, where we are in our own lives, and even the shape of the love we shared all change how grief takes root in us. For me, this truth has unfolded again and again. When I lost my mom as a child, grief came with a strange kind of knowing. At church one day, an old man approached me and quietly told me my mother was going to pass away, and I needed to take care of my grandmother. Moments later, he was gone, vanished, as though he had never been there. I knew she had died before my family did. And then I went silent. For an entire year, I didn’t speak. When I finally found my voice again, I wasn’t the same girl. I had been sassy, loud, even defiant at times, but after that silence, I had softened. I became more compassionate, more tender. That grief changed

Grief Wears Many Faces

Grief wears many faces. From losing a parent to losing a partner, each loss reshapes us in unique ways. This reflection shares personal stories of loss and offers gentle advice on how to hold space for others, reminding us there is no one way to grieve.

Val Blair

Aug 243 min read

Invisible Grief: Naming the Quiet Losses and Finding Your Way Back to Self

Explore the quiet grief we often overlook—loss of safety, certainty, and identity—and how to gently reconnect with yourself through healing.

Val Blair

Apr 242 min read

Emotional Healing After a Job Loss: Mindfulness and Meditation Practices

Discover the power of healing after a job loss with mindfulness and meditation. Embrace emotional healing and find peace and resilience.

Val Blair

Apr 65 min read

Give Yourself Permission to Celebrate the Holidays the Way You Need To

I’m listening to the radio and the host mentioned how excited she is for Thanksgiving. I didn’t even realize how quickly it came up. Before, I would have had my Thanksgiving Day reservation made at Boulevard Five72 and a complete menu for the day after Thanksgiving all prepared by November 1st! Now, the holidays approach like a regular day for me and I can almost slip through it unnoticed – until the invites come flooding in from friends asking for me to celebrate with them.

Val Blair

Nov 16, 20223 min read