7. Iris Taught Me That Grief Has No Expiration Date

When Iris lost her sister, the silence didn’t just fill the room, it filled her. Left an emptiness she could feel in her bones. No matter how much time passed, it didn’t erase what was missing. And she didn’t try to dress it up for the page.

She said it straight:

“My sister passing. It left an empty space.”

Whew.

Grief doesn’t move on your schedule. It doesn’t wait until you’re ready. And it doesn’t ask for permission before it takes a seat at the table.

Iris reminded me that love doesn’t end but it does shift.

And sometimes the only thing you can do is breathe through the memories and try to remember the good times. That’s what gave her strength. That’s what helped her stay afloat on the days when the grief pulled heavy.

She dropped this line and it broke me open:

“Live. Love each other as long as you can. Because you never know what tomorrow brings.”

Hmmm.

There’s no timer on grief. There’s no finish line on missing someone. But if you’ve ever lost a piece of your heart, then you already know: every day becomes a reason to love harder.

To Iris:

Thank you. For saying it raw. For honoring your sister by speaking her absence out loud. For reminding me to treasure the ones I love now.

Because like you said, we never know what tomorrow brings.