I haven't been around for a while. After a devastating loss in my family, my beloved aunt, I've been navigating the grief again, that overwhelming feeling that only time could mitigate from time to time. Since my father's passing almost five years ago, I've been working on grief with my therapist; my reference is the work of Dr. Irvin Yalom: "Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Dear" and "A Matter of Death and Life. Love, Loss and What Matter at the End" Dr. Yalom said that grief is love; it is the rippling effect that the person we lost and loved has left in all the people around us lives, which becomes the transformation of pain into something good. It can translate into cause and effect, but for something good, an act of love and faith. I've never thought to post something beyond my work here. The fact of writing helps me a lot in this sea of sadness while I'm navigating, but I believe it is essential to talk and spread awareness about loss and grief. My metaphor for grief is navigation: I am still on my small boat, sailing through the infinite and healing sea of grief. Yes, grief can be painful, but if you know how to navigate through the storms and even the calm seas, you can find something positive in the pain. What I've been learning through Yalom's work during all these years: - The Healing Time: We will continue sailing in our boat through the storm, with the tide rising and falling, with the sea sometimes calm as we wait to reach the shore. - Living Life Without Regrets: "Live without regrets" — I believe in this deeply. If there is one thing I regret, it's not being able to accompany my father and my aunt at the time of their deaths. - "Grieve as an Educator": Grief can teach us much about ourselves. We can find something positive through it, and grief can bring out our best. Likewise, we can learn and teach others through our grief: "Teaching stories." - Meaning of Life - Interpersonal Bond: Through what we share and communicate, we leave a ripple effect that expands and nourishes us by sharing what is close to us — the reality we immerse in. It has been a privilege to witness Dr. Yalom's Masterclass about his latest book, whose expanding ripple of pain resonates and, at the same time, soothes. I cried for a while. So human. So close. So clear. Finding something positive in pain for our lives and the people around us is healing; it's powerful. Navigating grief in stormy times is hard, but when the sea is calm, the memories, the love, and the happiness of having shared meaningful moments with our loved ones make us the best sailors. Lose the fear of looking directly at the sun, life, and death from your boat. To my father and my aunt, it is always in my memory. I keep sailing.