You're Invited

by Amanda Jayatissa

Grieving for your mother shrinks in value as you get older. Everyone acts like it’s the end of the world when you lose a parent as a child, and it certainly felt that way to me. But you lose the right to hold on to that grief as the years tick by. As losing a parent is viewed less like a tragedy and more like nature taking its course. Because holding on to stale sadness didn’t do anyone any favors. No one seems to understand that real loss never eases; we just become more adept at carrying a weight that settles deeper in our chests, smiling through it, pretending like we are totally fine whenever someone mentions them.