11/18/2025
A couple of months ago, I was talking with my granddaughter and mentioned my mom. She looked at me and said, “You have a mom?” Of course she said that, my mother died thirty years ago. She never met her, and I realize now that I’ve hardly shared stories about her at all.
That moment reminded me of something important: if we don’t say their name, if we don’t tell their story, if we don’t carry their legacy forward, no one else will. And eventually, their story falls silent.
Sometimes we hold back. We worry that saying their name will make others uneasy, especially after a recent loss, or on an anniversary that weighs a little heavier on the heart. Inside, we might be aching to speak about them, to honor them, to let the world know how much they are still woven into our days. But out of protection for others, we stay quiet.
I wish we lived in a culture that welcomed these stories, where remembering someone wasn’t seen as reopening a wound, but as keeping love alive. Where legacy wasn’t something fragile, but something we tended to together. I think we are getting there, but I also think we could do better. 
So say their name. Tell their story. Share their legacy. Live in a way they would be proud of.
They may not be here in the way they once were, but they are still here, carried in the breath of every memory we choose to speak aloud.
xo
Gabby
www.thehospiceheart.net
