When Every Season Hurts: Surviving Grief Anniversaries and Death Dates All Year Long

When you’ve experienced multiple losses, no part of the calendar feels “safe” anymore.Photo by Gaining Visuals on Unsplash

There was a time in my life when I thought grief only lived in December.

My mom died the day after Christmas in 2013. That first holiday season without her was devastating. Counting down the days to her death anniversary was like having a subscription to pain I couldn’t unsubscribe from. The years that followed felt pretty much the same.

I expected December to hurt. I braced my...