Transmuting Grief

How to tell a new story about loss

Tiny little light blue flowers appear in the grass every spring. Their presence is a miracle for me! -Photo by Trista Signe Ainsworth.

“When grief comes,…. You can either let it blind you with an insane pain, a rage beyond words..Or, you can transmute it into something so profound that it takes the shape of poetry, prose, or timeless lyrics so they reveal to you, the pathway to growth.”

― Jayita Bhattacharjee

To read this story for free, click here.

Ever since my cousin Kimberly left this Earth in a shroud of mystery, in the background of life, my heart felt heavy with her loss. Not knowing how she died, losing track of her for many years, and being without closure left me feeling uneasy.

As I pondered her life in the weeks since her passing, I thought of one word: resilience.

A beautiful pink peony bloom in our garden. -Photo by Trista Signe Ainsworth.

To heal my heart and honor her life, I decided to write a fictional story about her final moments on Earth and how we can learn beautiful things by transmuting our grief into creativity.

I also planted a new pink rose bush called La France in our garden to honor her life. Its beauty and scent will remind me of her.