Reflections on Grief, Healing, and Honoring My Mom

Episode Summary:

In this solo episode of Adoptees Crossing Lines, Zaira reflects on 2024—one of the most difficult years yet. With raw honesty, she speaks about the grief of losing a mother too soon, the journey of reclaiming memory and identity, and what it means to move through life in the aftermath of family separation. This episode is for anyone navigating complex grief, especially those whose losses are often overlooked.

In this episode, we cover:

(00:29) Why mutual aid had to wait—and what this episode became instead
(02:26) Growing up without space to grieve—and how adoption erased her right to mourn
(04:51) Reconnecting with the truth about her mom and imagining what could have been
(07:45) Holidays, no-contact, and the loneliness of not having parents to return to
(11:21) Reclaiming writing, rediscovering poetry, and healing through words
(13:17) An excerpt about grief, identity, and surviving a system that stole her family
(16:41) “Living Without Her,” a poem for her mother—and a promise to remember

Call To Action:

Subscribe to Adoptees Crossing Lines wherever you listen to podcasts, follow us on social media, and subscribe to our Substack for more content and community:

• Website: adopteescrossinglines.com
• Instagram: @adopteescrossinglines
• BlueSky: adopteecrossing.bsky.social
• TikTok: @adopteescrossinglines_
• Substack: Adoptees Crossing Lines Substack

Listen to these episodes next:

• What We Carried from the Black Mothers March

Work With Me:

Email [email protected] for brand partnerships and business inquiries.

Editing by Samuel Oyedele (Editor)

Special thanks to Samuel Oyedele for editing our podcast, support his work on Instagram or email him at [email protected]