GR Celebrant

07/01/2026

Even when I know it doesn’t bode well this was a beautiful morning!

01/01/2026

The lovely Becky seems to me to sum up this difficult time perfectly!!

For some, saying goodbye to 2025 will be hard.
Not because they want the year to stay,
but because of what is left behind in the whispers of it.

For those people, saying goodbye to this year
feels like loosening their hold on a hand they are not ready to let go of.
Not yet.

This year carries people they’ve lost, and leaving it feels like further separation; as if the year itself can keep them safe. As if staying here means keeping them closer.

At midnight, they will hesitate…
as though time were a doorway that might close too quickly.
They will want to linger on the threshold, not ready to step away from what this year still holds.
Certain dates are now landmarks. They mark where something changed,
where something ended,
where absence settled in.
This year taught them where loss lives - and how quietly it can stay - and moving on feels like a second goodbye. Because next year never met those they loved.
It never held them in the same way that this year did.

They know deep down that love doesn’t disappear
when the calendar turns, when the clock strikes midnight, when a new year begins.
But the heart is not careful with time: it simply aches for more of it.

And for now, their hearts are holding someone close.
By holding on to here
and holding on to now.

*****

For those who find comfort in the fact that this year knew their loved one. Sending my love to you as you head into a new year without them

Becky Hemsley 2025

25/12/2025

24/12/2025

From the lovely Becky….

The Christmas dinner table’s laid
But there’s an empty chair
A chasm of a memory
Of one who should be there

A present never bought or wrapped
For one who won’t appear
A missing glass to clink
As we all toast another year

And if you’re not excited
For a Christmas set apart,
If you’re feeling apprehensive,
There’s a sadness in your heart,

Just know there is no right way
That you’re meant to bear the sorrow
Simply do whatever you must do
To make it through tomorrow

Becky Hemsley 2022
Artwork from Canva

07/12/2025

From loss, new life emerges. We grow - not despite grief, but through it. Every bloom tells a story of survival and hope.

This National Grief Awareness Week, we stand with The Good Grief Trust to remind you: growth is possible.

👉 Tag someone who has helped you grow through grief.

05/12/2025

Grief doesn’t disappear - it transforms. In its place, compassion and resilience begin to bloom. You are stronger than you know.

We stand with The Good Grief Trust to make sure no one grieves alone.

👉 Tag someone who inspires you with their strength.

04/12/2025

Over time, roots deepen. We learn to carry love and loss together, shaping who we are becoming.

Grief doesn’t vanish - it becomes part of our story.

Support The Good Grief Trust and help spread hope this week.

👉 Tell us: What’s one way you honour your loved one’s memory?

03/12/2025

Grief changes us. Like a sprout breaking through soil, we eventually start to find new strength - even when it feels impossible.

Every small step forward matters.

Join us and The Good Grief Trust in raising awareness this week.

👉 Comment below: What helped you take your first step forward?

02/12/2025

Every journey begins with a seed. In grief, that seed is pain - but it can also hold the promise of growth. Even in the darkest soil, something new can take root. This week, we reflect on how grief shapes us and how, over time, we can grow through it.

We’re proud to support The Good Grief Trust during National Grief Awareness Week.

👉 Share your thoughts or tag someone who might need this reminder today.

02/12/2025

When we’re grieving it’s hard to believe that we will get through it, but if we take our time we will find a way. However lonely it feels please know you are not alone.

All on the Board The Good Grief Trust

01/12/2025

On this World AIDS Day I can’t help but remember so many of those who passed when this was at its height….but I am also grateful for the difference research and new drugs have made in the lives of those who have HIV.