Writing the Waves of Grief

Image by Jeremy Bishop via Unsplash

As an aspiring writer in my 20s, I used to scrawl out a few pages in my journal every morning. Journaling helped me process my life, clear the top layer of sludge and complaints from my brain, and maintain a record of moments I’d otherwise forget.

But when my brother died unexpectedly when I was 24, I dropped my pen. My journal lay closed, unfinished. I couldn’t bring myself to commit the words to the page: my…