Welcome to GOOD GRIEF, formerly Songs of Forgiveness.
A great rift happened in the trajectory of my life when my mom started showing signs of cognitive impairment in the midst of an amazing career. That ended all the ways she had been there for us threw us into crisis mode, shifting our family focus from our usual joyful family gatherings to providing for her as her abilities changed. Writing was my solace, as it always has been. This newsletter was born long after my mother had succumbed to the disease. The losses happened slowly and almost without our notice in the years before my first post in January 2022. This blog has become a way to write about loss and the virtues of non-attachment with the hope of providing solace for myself and others on their journey.
GOOD GRIEF is delivered in sync with the phases of the moon and in tune with the changing seasons, therefore takes a more natural approach to the ebb and flow of time. This provides a structure for healing—effort as the moon is waxing and release as the moon wanes. This mimics rupture and repair, which is how you build resilience, strength, and endurance.
I have a MFA in creative writing and teach writing, creativity, yoga, and meditation. I use language and perspective as tools to make the most of our limited time on this earth.
GOOD GRIEF is published with the moon, more or less. A lunar cycle is approximately 29.5 days and the time between each of the primary phases (new moon, first quarter moon, full moon, third quarter moon) is slightly longer than 7 days. Due to the geometry of the Moon’s rotation around the Earth and the Earth’s around the Sun, these time measurements are always in flux. So each lunation has me publishing on different days, and during some lunations I choose to do things entirely different. Moon time is beautiful precisely because of its ever-changing nature. Novelty is the spice of life. I travel extensively in the summer and share my travelogues via photo essays and TikTok.
My posts are freely given for the first 8 days after publication and then they go behind a paywall. Email subscribers, free or paid, will get the first and most raw versions sent directly into their email boxes where they will remain as long as the reader wants them there, even after a paywall goes up on the web version of the post. Paid subscribers will have full access to the archives and receive quarterly worksheets with writing prompts, access to all Moon Series, plus — most important of all — the life-sustaining good vibes of generosity.
Here I delve into time-passing, time-travel, spirituality, writing-process, yoga, civics, purposeful living and purposeful dying.
Inner Troll Yoga School is the name of my yoga practice. Subscribe to Songs of Forgiveness to hear about any upcoming events or classes. Check out Yoga Poetry Radio, my podcast archives, to check out my yoga, meditation, and breathing offerings. Email me if you have questions or interest in writing help or to request my teachings for individuals or groups.
This is my main mailing list. Thanks so much for being here.
Much love, Tina
