Hello, friend!
It’s been a long while, yeah?
I feel like writing something like this feels strange and familiar at the same time. I’ve been here in this exact spot, writing an update after months of being in hiatus. Only this time, it’s a little bit harder than it used to be.
Before I posted my recent article, the last book review I wrote and published was way back in September 2022. The major reason of my hiatus was I was too busy with my freelance work and I was also in a huge reading slump for almost the whole of Q4. I picked up my rhythm back in December, though. Plus around that time I was planning to revamp the blog, particularly the theme.
Well, if you’re reading this now, you’d see that I’ve already implemented my new theme. I found Kadence from a blogging forum, so I tried it and fell in love with its customization features. I customized this myself, so if you find any errors that I might have missed, let me know hahaha!
I was originally going to implement this change back in January, but life hits you hard sometimes. And boy, did it hit me really hard.
Right after New Year, we found out my mom had liver damage, and just a month after that, we lost her. It was too sudden and it felt like I didn’t really have enough time to process her condition, much less her being gone. I used to wonder what it’s like when people say losing someone feels like having a hole in their hearts.
Well, it’s true. And it hurts.
And I still cry in the wee hours of the night when I couldn’t sleep.
Sometimes, I feel like I’m on autopilot. I try to keep myself busy to distract myself, but I also realized processing my grief would be better in the long run. So I started reading again.
acknowledge it.
absorb it.
let it run through you
until it becomes a part of you.
that’s when the healing begins.
Hello Grief, I’ll Be Right With You by Alessandra Olanow
One particular book that helped me was Hello Grief, I’ll Be Right With You by Alessandra Olanow. Like me, the author also lost her mom, so the whole book was truly relatable and comforting.
I’ve tried to pick up my old habits again, like reading books, watching shows (like The Last of Us!!!), and even attending concerts. It’s hard trying to do everyday stuff or having fun from time to time, knowing I’ll never be able to make new memories with my mom again.
Anyway, yeah. Life sucks, but I’m doing okay, I think.
And as for the blog, I’m planning to post more stuff again.
I’d like to extend my gratitude to my friends from this community who extended their thoughts and prayers for my family. Thank you for your mass cards, donations, hugs, and messages. I truly appreciate your love and support through these trying times.
