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Between the Willows Grief Support, Roorkee (2026)

02/06/2026

Yesterday, I attended the funeral of a friend's father.

It was desperately sad, as funerals often are when someone is taken too soon, but it was also one of the most beautiful services I have experienced.

He was present in every part of it. A brass band played wonderful tunes. Stories were shared. There was laughter alongside tears. At one point, there was even applause as people celebrated a life well lived. It felt like such a fitting reminder that funerals can hold joy, gratitude and love, alongside sadness.

Most moving of all, his six grandchildren, aged between 2 and 8, were included throughout the service. They helped light candles, said their goodbyes, and were given the opportunity to be part of a moment that many adults instinctively try to shield children from.

Then came a moment I don't think anyone will forget.

His eldest granddaughter, aged just 8, stood up to read one of the readings from the service, which I have shared below. She swayed a little, scratched her forehead, paused once, and carried on. Completely natural. Completely herself. Her choice to read. And utterly brave.

It reminded me of something I often talk about with clients. Many parents worry about how to explain death to children or whether they should be included in funerals. What I have learnt is that children cope best when they are given truthful, age-appropriate explanations and are included rather than excluded.

Children learn from the adults around them. They learn that grief can look different from one person to another. That you can cry, laugh, sit quietly, tell stories, or simply listen. That sadness and love can exist together.

By including children in conversations about death and giving them opportunities to say goodbye, we help them understand that grief is not something to fear. It is a natural response to loving someone deeply.

The readings you see below include the one that this brave young granddaughter chose to read. I hope they bring you as much comfort and perspective as they brought to those of us sitting in that church yesterday.

Yesterday was a beautiful reminder that even in the hardest moments, children often show us exactly how to be present.

14/05/2026

Loneliness during grief is a real thing.

Grief can feel incredibly isolating.

Not always because people do not care, but because grief changes us.

Sometimes it can feel as though friends or family have moved on, while you are still trying to process the loss and understand your world without that person in it.

You may feel disconnected, misunderstood, exhausted by social situations or unsure how to explain what is going on inside you.

Grief can also affect:

🌿your relationship with yourself
🌿your confidence and identity
🌿friendships and family dynamics
🌿how you now feel about work and everyday life

So many thoughts and emotions build up internally, yet people often struggle to put them into words.

This is why support matters.

We are here to listen, to remember your loved one with you, to understand the relationship you had and to help you navigate the complexities of grief so you feel less alone. 🌿

If you would like to talk to someone and feeling a sense of loneliness with your grief, please DM Emy and we can set up a free initial call #

11/05/2026

When a Mother dies..

When we arrive into this world, we are literally attached to our Mothers. There is no other attachment quite like it.

Before we even speak, we know her voice. She becomes our first sense of safety, comfort and home.

And yet, every Mother and child relationship is unique. Even between siblings, no relationship is ever exactly the same. We are all different in character, personality, needs and experiences.

Which is why, when we lose our Mothers, we lose a relationship that can never be replaced.

The loss can bring an overwhelming sense of loneliness and fear. Your first anchor has disappeared.

There are things that cannot be replicated:
Her perfume.
The sound of her voice.
The way she looked at you.
The role of being someone’s daughter or son with their Mum still here.

And when a Mother dies, grief can become incredibly complex because Mothers often hold many roles within our lives.

They may have been your safe place, your best friend, your advice giver, your comfort, your support system, your childcare help, the person who held the family together OR perhaps the relationship itself was complicated, painful or unfinished.

No two experiences of Mother loss are the same.

But whatever your relationship looked like, grief deserves compassion, understanding and space.

If you are grieving your Mum and struggling with your grief, we are here to support you through it. Please DM to book an initial free call with Emy

08/05/2026

“The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.”
~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

One of the most painful parts of losing a parent can be what happens afterwards - going through possessions, deciding what stays, what goes, and sometimes grieving the things we never got to keep.

A coat that still smells like them.
A favourite chair.
Photographs.
Jewellery.
Handwritten notes.

These objects can feel like pieces of the person we are desperately trying not to lose.

And for some, this part of grief becomes complicated.

Family dynamics, step families, siblings, distance, disagreements - not everyone walks away with the possessions they hoped would help them feel connected.

But something I often remind grieving adults is this:

The greatest possession your parent ever left behind is you.

You carry their life forward in ways no object ever could.
In your DNA.
In your expressions.
Perhaps its your laughter your laughter, your resilience, or even your ways of loving.

And you get to choose how you wish to carry them on.

The quote says, “The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.”

Sometimes that memory is held in photographs and possessions.

But sometimes, it is held in us.

If you are feeling stuck or struggling with your grief. Please do not hesitate to DM, Emy for a confidential free introductory call.

06/05/2026

THE HAWTHORN TREE aka May blossom

Tea for your grieving ♡

🌿 There’s something about being in nature when you’re grieving…

it gives your mind and body a moment to breathe.

And right now, in May, you might start to notice the Hawthorn coming into bloom -
also known as May blossom.

It’s long been connected to the heart, used gently over time to support both the physical and emotional side of things.

If you come across one, and it feels right for you,
you might take a small sprig home…
let it dry somewhere warm for a few days…

then gently crumble the leaves and flowers…

and make a simple tea -
just a teaspoon or two in hot water,
leave it for around 10 minutes…

and sit with it.

Not as a solution -
but as a small moment to pause and soften.

Especially on the days that feel a bit heavier 🤍

01/05/2026

Reasons to stay
Mental Health Awareness week

For Mental Health Awareness week I wanted to sit down and write a letter for campaign, Reasons to Stay website and help spread awareness of his incredible work.

A little part to play in a big campaign.

I wrote it for the friends who have struggled quietly.
For those who have had moments where staying felt too hard.
For the ones we carry in our hearts who are no longer here.
And for the families and parents i support left navigating a loss no words can hold.

This is about awareness.
About compassion.
About creating space for conversations that are often left unsaid.

Keep up the amazing work

24/04/2026

Recently there have been great losses for people where the question has been asked, how to support children involved?

How do we explain the loss of a parent, a grandparent, someone they love?

Firstly - no one knows your child or children better than you do.
There is no one “right” way.
But sometimes, having a little guidance can help you feel more confident in those conversations.

If you are speaking to your young child or your young children about death, here are a few gentle pointers:

• Keep language clear and simple
As adults, words like “death” or 'dead' can feel harsh, but for children, clarity is kindness. Saying “their body has died” can be easier to understand than phrases like “gone to sleep” or “passed away,” which can feel confusing because, 'when will they wake up?' might be a question that follows.

• Offer reassurance about the body
You might say:
“Granny’s body has died. She can’t feel pain, she can’t feel cold, and she won’t feel lonely or sad.”

• Allow all feelings
Children may feel sad, confused, scared,or even seem unaffected. All responses are valid. Let them know it’s okay to feel however they feel.

• Be open to questions (again and again)
Children often revisit their understanding. Be prepared to answer the same questions multiple times with patience and consistency.

• Keep the conversations ongoing
Don’t feel like you haven’t explained things well if they ask more questions or repeat themselves - this is a good sign. It shows they are trying to understand.

It can often be the quieter children who need a little more gentle checking in. Some children don’t want to upset mummy or daddy, so they hold their questions in.

Let them know what they might see in you:
“Sometimes you might see me feel sad, sometimes I might laugh, and sometimes I might feel a little tired.”

Children are always learning from their anchors - in this moment they are learning about death, love and how we carry both.

If you are navigating your grief and would like some gentle support to help you and your children, please do not hesitate to contact

With love, Emy 💛

20/04/2026

Complicated Grief..

Some people can go to the funeral, say their goodbyes and then go back to their daily routine..

For others it can be Complicated:

Grief doesn’t follow a timeline… but sometimes it can feel like it’s not shifting at all.

This is often where complicated grief can begin to show itself.

For many, grief is most intense in the early months after a loss.
And while it never disappears, it usually softens over time.

But with complicated grief, that softening doesn’t seem to come.

You might notice it:

• Around 6–12 months after a loss, when the world expects you to be “moving forward”
• After the first year, when anniversaries and important dates still feel just as raw
• Or even much later, when something brings everything back to the surface

There are also times when grief can feel more overwhelming or stuck:

• After a sudden or traumatic loss
• When you’ve lost someone you were deeply connected to
• If losses have come close together
• When you haven’t had the space or support to truly process what’s happened
• If you’re also carrying anxiety, stress, or big life changes

This isn’t about doing grief “wrong.”

It’s about your mind and body still trying to understand something that felt too much, too soon… or too deep.

If your grief feels unchanging, heavy, or all-consuming — you are not alone in that.

It may simply be a sign that you need more support, more care, more space to gently process.

🌿

There is no deadline on grief.
Only your own path through it

is a safe, private space with Emy, where she walk alongside you, to help understand your grief.
You are not a lone and you are not going 'mad', its called grief.

Please DM or click the link above to book a free initial call to meet Emy and to see if you would like to work together.

🙏

14/04/2026

FUNERALS, what do they mean to you?

A friend kindly sent me a cut out of article in the FT, 'How to Grieve Differently' (scroll through for the full article and interesting reads on Grief from Sofka).

I was able to share this insightful piece to a client who wasnt able to have a proper funeral for their loved one.

Grief isn’t just something we feel - it’s something we need to express.

In her recent piece, Sofka Zinovieff reflects on what it meant to be kept away from her father’s funeral… and how that absence left something unfinished.

Because funerals aren’t only about saying goodbye.
They help us locate the loss. To witness it. To begin to understand it.

When we’re denied that moment - or it doesn’t feel right for us - grief can feel harder to place, harder to process.

There is no single way to say goodbye.
But having a way to mark the loss matters more than we often realise.

What do funerals mean to you? How would you like to say goodbye to a loved one?

healing griefawareness

10/04/2026

Like the willow, we bend in the storm of loss - but we do not break.

Grief has a way of changing us. It softens, reshapes, and asks us to carry love in a different way. Some days feel heavier than others, and that’s okay. There is no right way to grieve, no timeline to follow.

Like the willow, you are allowed to bend. To feel. To pause. And still, within you, there is quiet strength.

If you are struggling with your grief, please DM for an initial call with Emy 🌿

Between the Willows Grief Support

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