Nearly six years after losing his wife Colleen, Tim finds himself reflecting on a part of grief that few people talk about openly — the middle years.

In the early days after loss, life often feels chaotic and uncertain, but there is still a clear purpose: caring for children, holding the family together, and simply surviving the unimaginable. But as time passes and children grow into adulthood, a new chapter quietly begins to emerge.

In this deeply personal episode, Tim reflects on the reality of an empty nest ahead and the unexpected loneliness that can surface years after a loss. He shares the internal questions many grieving people carry but rarely say aloud, including whether we are “doing grief right,” and what it means to continue building a life that looks very different than the one we once imagined.

This conversation gently explores the tension between gratitude for the love that shaped our lives and the loneliness that can appear as life continues forward.

For anyone navigating the long road of grief — especially years after the loss — this episode offers an honest reminder that healing isn’t about replacing what was lost, but learning how to carry love forward into chapters we never expected to walk.