"You can love them and love your life." 

Welcome, fellow griever.
This is your Daily Nugget from me, Melissa, your host of The Leftover Pieces.
Today we will share a moment of presence, a breath of truth, and a reminder.
Lean in with me ---

 At first, it may feel impossible—like joy would be a betrayal. But love is not a limited resource. 

 "You can love them and love your life." 

Loving your life now doesn’t mean loving them any less. In fact, it can be a way of honoring them—by living fully in the time you have, just as they would have wanted for you.
 Your love for them will always be part of you. Nothing in this world can dilute it.
 You can laugh, plan, dream, and still hold space for your grief. They can coexist.
 Sometimes joy will feel strange in grief’s shadow—but in time, it will feel more like sunlight breaking through.

 You’re not choosing between them and a future you can embrace. You’re carrying both, in the same heart, as part of the same love.

Take this breath.
 It’s yours to soften into.
 The love you hold is real, and the path you walk is honored.
 No one else can live this story the way you do.
 I’ll return tomorrow to walk with you again. Talk Soon

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE

💜 The Leftover Pieces is support central for grieving hearts.
🔗 Stay connected: Join my free email community for weekly check-ins, resources, and encouragement.
🌟 For moms: Explore the $9 Lighthouse Community — safe connection, tools, and hope.
🛠 Resources for all grievers: Start here.
🤝 One-on-one grief coaching for moms after child loss to suicide: Learn more here.
📞 Need help now? If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 in the U.S. & Canada, or text HOME to 741741.

 "There will be days you feel closer to them." 

Welcome, fellow griever.
This is your Daily Nugget from me, Melissa, your host of The Leftover Pieces.
Today we will share a moment of presence, a breath of truth, and a reminder.
Lean in with me ---

Grief is not a decline in connection to our loved one. Some days, they feel so near you could almost reach out and touch them. 

 "There will be days you feel closer to them." 

It might happen on a walk, when the wind shifts just right. Or in the middle of a song, when the lyrics brush against a memory.
 These moments can be both beautiful and bittersweet—reminding you of what’s gone while also assuring you that love hasn’t vanished.
 Some days, the veil between your worlds feels thinner, and their presence wraps around you like a warm blanket.
 Don’t rush through those moments. Let them linger. Let yourself feel them, without needing to explain or diminish their magic.

 These flashes of closeness are reminders: love is not bound by time, distance, or even death.

 Pause here.
 This moment belongs to you, and you don’t have to rush it.
 The truths you carry are yours to keep.
 The steps you take are yours alone.
 I’ll be back with you tomorrow. Until then, Talk Soon

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE

💜 The Leftover Pieces is support central for grieving hearts.
🔗 Stay connected: Join my free email community for weekly check-ins, resources, and encouragement.
🌟 For moms: Explore the $9 Lighthouse Community — safe connection, tools, and hope.
🛠 Resources for all grievers: Start here.
🤝 One-on-one grief coaching for moms after child loss to suicide: Learn more here.
📞 Need help now? If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 in the U.S. & Canada, or text HOME to 741741.

"Grief will teach you who your people are."

Welcome, fellow griever.
This is your Daily Nugget from me, Melissa, your host of The Leftover Pieces.
Today we will share a moment of presence, a breath of truth, and a reminder.
Lean in with me ---

 Loss has a way of clarifying relationships in ways nothing else can. 

"Grief will teach you who your people are."

Some people will step closer, willing to sit with you in the silence, hold space for your tears, and ask nothing in return.
 Others will drift away, uncomfortable with your pain or unable to face their own fears.
 This can be painful—sometimes more than you expect. But it also clears a path for deeper, truer connections to grow.
 The people who stay, who don’t flinch when your grief shows its rawest edges—those are the ones you can trust with your heart.
 And sometimes, grief introduces you to people you’ve never met before, but who understand you in ways that feel like coming home.

 In grief, your circle may grow smaller—but it will also grow stronger. Those who remain are the ones who truly see you

This moment is yours, and you are allowed to rest in it.
You carry truths that no one can take from you.
You are walking a path only you can know.
I’ll be here again tomorrow. Talk soon. 

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE

💜 The Leftover Pieces is support central for grieving hearts.
🔗 Stay connected: Join my free email community for weekly check-ins, resources, and encouragement.
🌟 For moms: Explore the $9 Lighthouse Community — safe connection, tools, and hope.
🛠 Resources for all grievers: Start here.
🤝 One-on-one grief coaching for moms after child loss to suicide: Learn more here.
📞 Need help now? If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 in the U.S. & Canada, or text HOME to 741741.

"Healing doesn’t mean forgetting."

Welcome, fellow griever.
This is your Daily Nugget from me, Melissa, your host of The Leftover Pieces.
Today we will share a moment of presence, a breath of truth, and a reminder.
Lean in with me ---

Some fear that moving forward will erase the person they love. But healing and forgetting are not the same thing.

"Healing doesn’t mean forgetting."

Healing is about learning how to carry their absence without it crushing you. It’s about weaving them into your days in ways that feel gentle instead of jagged. You will still have moments where the ache is sharp—but over time, you’ll also have more moments where love leads instead of pain.
Your memories don’t fade because you heal. In fact, healing often makes space for more of them to surface—because you have the capacity to hold them without breaking.
They are not slipping away from you. Healing is simply building a life where you can meet them in memory without being destroyed by the missing.

Your love remains. Your bond remains. Healing is the proof—not the erasure—of their place in your life.

Breathe deeply.
 You are allowed to set down the weight, even for just a moment.
 What you know in your bones is unshakable.
 The journey you’re on is sacred, even when it feels lonely.
 I’ll meet you here again tomorrow. Until then, keep going.

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE

💜 The Leftover Pieces is support central for grieving hearts.
🔗 Stay connected: Join my free email community for weekly check-ins, resources, and encouragement.
🌟 For moms: Explore the $9 Lighthouse Community — safe connection, tools, and hope.
🛠 Resources for all grievers: Start here.
🤝 One-on-one grief coaching for moms after child loss to suicide: Learn more here.
📞 Need help now? If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 in the U.S. & Canada, or text HOME to 741741.

 "It’s normal to miss who you were before." 

Welcome, fellow griever.
This is your Daily Nugget from me, Melissa, your host of The Leftover Pieces.
Today we will share a moment of presence, a breath of truth, and a reminder.
Lean in with me ---

Loss doesn’t just take the person you love—it reshapes you.

 "It’s normal to miss who you were before." 

You may look back at the version of yourself who laughed more easily, dreamed more freely, or moved through the world without the shadow of grief.
It’s okay to mourn that version of you.
Grief changes the architecture of your life and your identity. That doesn’t mean the person you are now is “less.” It means you have been carved out and remade by something profound.
 In time, you may find new strength, deeper compassion, or a different kind of joy—but it’s still okay to long for the innocence and lightness you once carried.
Both grief and gratitude can exist for who you were and who you are becoming.

Missing your old self is part of missing them. Both are threads in the same tapestry of love and loss.

 Take this breath.
 It’s yours to soften into.
 The love you hold is real, and the path you walk is honored.
 No one else can live this story the way you do.
 I’ll return tomorrow to walk with you again. 

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE

💜 The Leftover Pieces is support central for grieving hearts.
🔗 Stay connected: Join my free email community for weekly check-ins, resources, and encouragement.
🌟 For moms: Explore the $9 Lighthouse Community — safe connection, tools, and hope.
🛠 Resources for all grievers: Start here.
🤝 One-on-one grief coaching for moms after child loss to suicide: Learn more here.
📞 Need help now? If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 in the U.S. & Canada, or text HOME to 741741.

"You don’t have to explain your grief."

Welcome, fellow griever.
This is your Daily Nugget from me, Melissa, your host of The Leftover Pieces.
Today we will share a moment of presence, a breath of truth, and a reminder.
Lean in with me ---

Not everyone will understand. And honestly? Not everyone needs to.

"You don’t have to explain your grief."

Grief is intimate. It lives in the small moments, the private memories, the quiet aches only you can fully feel.
You don’t owe anyone a map of that landscape. You don’t have to justify why today feels harder than yesterday, or why a certain song brings you to your knees.
Some people will get it without words. Others won’t—and that’s okay.
Your grief is not a debate to be won or a performance to be evaluated. It is yours to honor, in the way that feels right to you, without explanation.

You are allowed to carry your grief quietly. It’s not your job to make it legible to the world—it’s your job to tend to your own heart.

 Pause here.
 This moment belongs to you, and you don’t have to rush it.
 The truths you carry are yours to keep.
 The steps you take are yours alone.
 I’ll be back with you tomorrow. Until then, rest easy. 

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE

💜 The Leftover Pieces is support central for grieving hearts.
🔗 Stay connected: Join my free email community for weekly check-ins, resources, and encouragement.
🌟 For moms: Explore the $9 Lighthouse Community — safe connection, tools, and hope.
🛠 Resources for all grievers: Start here.
🤝 One-on-one grief coaching for moms after child loss to suicide: Learn more here.
📞 Need help now? If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 in the U.S. & Canada, or text HOME to 741741.

"Grief can change your definition of strength."

Welcome, fellow griever.
This is your Daily Nugget from me, Melissa, your host of The Leftover Pieces.
Today we will share a moment of presence, a breath of truth, and a reminder.
Lean in with me ---

Before loss, strength might have looked like pushing through, holding it all together, or never letting anyone see you cry. After loss, strength often has a different face. 

"Grief can change your definition of strength."

Grief strips away the illusions we once had about what it means to be “strong.”
It teaches us that real strength is showing up when our heart feels heavy, letting the tears fall instead of swallowing them down, and asking for help when we can’t carry the weight alone.
Strength is choosing to keep living—not because it’s easy, but because love calls us to.
It’s not about appearing unshaken; it’s about moving through the shaking and still finding a way to take the next breath.
You may not see your strength in the mirror, but it’s in the quiet choices you make every day to keep going.

Your strength is not measured by how little you hurt. It’s measured by how deeply you love, even when it hurts the most.

This moment is yours, and you are allowed to rest in it.
You carry truths that no one can take from you.
You are walking a path only you can know.
I’ll be here again tomorrow. Talk soon. 

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE

💜 The Leftover Pieces is support central for grieving hearts.
🔗 Stay connected: Join my free email community for weekly check-ins, resources, and encouragement.
🌟 For moms: Explore the $9 Lighthouse Community — safe connection, tools, and hope.
🛠 Resources for all grievers: Start here.
🤝 One-on-one grief coaching for moms after child loss to suicide: Learn more here.
📞 Need help now? If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 in the U.S. & Canada, or text HOME to 741741.

 "Grief is the price of love." 

Welcome, fellow griever.
This is your Daily Nugget from me, Melissa, your host of The Leftover Pieces.
Today we will share a moment of presence, a breath of truth, and a reminder.
Lean in with me ---

If we never loved deeply, we’d never hurt this much.

 "Grief is the price of love." 

Grief is not a punishment. It’s the echo of the love that filled your life—and the love that still lives inside you.
The ache you feel is proof that what you had was real, beautiful, and worth every moment.
If the price of that love is this grief, it’s a price we pay willingly—because to have lived without it would have been an even greater loss.
We can’t separate love and grief. They are two sides of the same coin, and both are sacred.

 Let your grief remind you: you loved deeply, and that love will always be yours.

 Breathe deeply.
 You are allowed to set down the weight, even for just a moment.
 What you know in your bones is unshakable.
 The journey you’re on is sacred, even when it feels lonely.
 I’ll meet you here again tomorrow. Until then, keep going. 

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE

💜 The Leftover Pieces is support central for grieving hearts.
🔗 Stay connected: Join my free email community for weekly check-ins, resources, and encouragement.
🌟 For moms: Explore the $9 Lighthouse Community — safe connection, tools, and hope.
🛠 Resources for all grievers: Start here.
🤝 One-on-one grief coaching for moms after child loss to suicide: Learn more here.
📞 Need help now? If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 in the U.S. & Canada, or text HOME to 741741.

 "There is no 'getting over' grief." 

Welcome, fellow griever.
This is your Daily Nugget from me, Melissa, your host of The Leftover Pieces.
Today we will share a moment of presence, a breath of truth, and a reminder.
Lean in with me ---

 We’ve all heard it: “You’ll get over it.” As if loss is something we recover from, like a cold. 

"There is no 'getting over' grief." 

But grief is not an obstacle you climb and leave behind. It’s not a wound that disappears without a scar.

It becomes part of you—woven into the way you see the world, the way you love, the way you move through your days.
Over time, you might laugh more, cry less, feel a little lighter. But you’re not “over it.” You’re carrying it differently. You’re integrating it into a life that’s been permanently changed.
The truth is, we don’t get over grief—we grow around it.

Don’t let anyone convince you that healing means forgetting. It means learning to live fully with your love and your loss side by side.

 Take this breath.
 It’s yours to soften into.
 The love you hold is real, and the path you walk is honored.
 No one else can live this story the way you do.
 I’ll return tomorrow to walk with you again. 

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE

💜 The Leftover Pieces is support central for grieving hearts.
🔗 Stay connected: Join my free email community for weekly check-ins, resources, and encouragement.
🌟 For moms: Explore the $9 Lighthouse Community — safe connection, tools, and hope.
🛠 Resources for all grievers: Start here.
🤝 One-on-one grief coaching for moms after child loss to suicide: Learn more here.
📞 Need help now? If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 in the U.S. & Canada, or text HOME to 741741.

 "Memories are a form of connection." 

Welcome, fellow griever.
This is your Daily Nugget from me, Melissa, your host of The Leftover Pieces.
Today we will share a moment of presence, a breath of truth, and a reminder.
Lean in with me ---

We sometimes fear that talking about them will hurt too much—or that others will grow tired of hearing their name. But memories are not just reminders of what we’ve lost. They’re threads that keep the connection alive.

 "Memories are a form of connection." 

Every story you tell, every mental picture you replay, every detail you hold close—it’s all a way of keeping them with you.
 Memories can bring tears, yes. But they can also bring comfort, laughter, even a deep sense of gratitude for the moments you were given.
 They remind us that the relationship didn’t end when their life did. Love doesn’t vanish; it just shifts into new forms—and memory is one of the most powerful of those forms.

So speak their name. Share their stories. Every time you do, you keep the bond alive.

 Pause here.
 This moment belongs to you, and you don’t have to rush it.
 The truths you carry are yours to keep.
 The steps you take are yours alone.
 I’ll be back with you tomorrow. Until then, rest easy. 

Support the show

__________________________________________________________________________

Get THE Leftover Pieces APP & don't miss anything! CLICK HERE

💜 The Leftover Pieces is support central for grieving hearts.
🔗 Stay connected: Join my free email community for weekly check-ins, resources, and encouragement.
🌟 For moms: Explore the $9 Lighthouse Community — safe connection, tools, and hope.
🛠 Resources for all grievers: Start here.
🤝 One-on-one grief coaching for moms after child loss to suicide: Learn more here.
📞 Need help now? If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 in the U.S. & Canada, or text HOME to 741741.