There must be something strangely sacred about salt. It is in our tears and in the sea.Kahlil Gibran

Those of us who’ve suffered one or more devastating losses often describe grief as being like the ocean with pain and longing breaking over us in waves. At times, the sadness is overwhelming, and we feel as though we’re drowning. But over time, we learn to float, to keep our head above water. We begin to recognize when the big waves are coming and become better able to deal with them. Although we never escape the sadness, we learn to navigate the waters of grief and move forward into the life we create in the wake of our loss.

a panoramic photo of Pismo Beach at sunset

During my darkest days, I found that the wisdom and experience of other grievers helped me to re-enter the world. They showed me that life after the death of a beloved was possible, that I could begin to see beauty, find grace and feel hope, even joy. They helped me realize that love was all around me, and all I had to do was lean in.

At Salt Water, our community can help you find your equilibrium and begin to heal after an unbearable loss. As Barbara Kingsolver put it so beautifully in High Tide in Tucson:

What a stroke of luck. What a singular brute feat of outrageous fortune: to be born into citizenship in the animal kingdom. We love and we lose, go back to the start and do it right over again. For every heavy forebrain solemnly cataloguing the facts of a harsh landscape, there’s a rush of intuition behind it crying out: High tide! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time to take this life for what it is.

We invite you to become part of our community. Share your story, ask a question, make a comment. We’d love to hear from you.

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Beth, Anne, Billie and Margo seated on a couch. The picture is orange in tone. Anne and Billie are holding an orange pillow on their laps

The Houses In Your Heart

Maybe there aren’t any such things as good friends or bad friends — maybe there are just friends, people who stand by you when you’re hurt and who help you feel not so lonely. Maybe they’re always worth being scared for, and hoping for, and living for …

A man wearing blue jeans using planer to smooth a board. Only the man's knees, wrists and hands are visible.

The Coffin

He runs his hand over pine boards, propped against a sawhorse. Determined to build his own coffin …

Never Enough

Figuring out what matters when your head is being held under water is an excellent way to get clarity. Sara Stamp

Two fly fishermen standing to the right of the photo with their lines int the water. There's steam rising from the water and brown grass on the bank behind the water.

response from the ether

hiya toots
its me

I Will Stand Here With You

There is nothing I can say that will bring them back, all their bright futures spread before us, but I will stand here all the same with you my heart broken open with yours and remember what we have lost. Brian Andreas

A sailboat with its sail down in the distance on the beach. The sun is setting and the sky and beach deep blue with some yellow

The Night-Boat

This morning there’s no place I’d rather be than here with you. Light enlarges us, the hour lingers, a white sail skims the edge of the sea.

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