Bob Cristello

“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something that needs our love.” — Rainer Maria Rilke Grief often arrives as a fierce dragon guarding a deep wound. The loss of a child can feel … Read more

“I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead; I lift my eyes and all is born again.” — Sylvia Plath Grief can feel like closing your eyes to a world that once felt full and vibrant. The absence of a child leaves an emptiness so deep that everything familiar seems to disappear. Many … Read more

“Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.” — James Baldwin Grief challenges everything we think about love. The love we held for a lost child does not disappear with their passing. Many grieving parents feel … Read more

“If equal affection cannot be, Let the more loving one be me.” — W.H. Auden Grief often leaves a sense of imbalance in love and loss. When a child is gone, the love remaining can feel both immense and painfully one-sided. Some parents carry a heavier load of love because absence creates distance that cannot … Read more

“I measure every Grief I meetWith narrow, probing, eyesI wonder ifIt weighs like MineOr has an Easier size.” — Emily Dickinson Grief is a weight that many carry, though the shape and size may differ. Parents who have lost a child know how heavy sorrow can feel. Every loss has its own contours, its own … Read more

“The heart was made to be broken.” — Oscar Wilde Grief shatters the heart in ways no one expects. The loss of a child leaves a hollow space that never fully heals. Many parents discover their hearts cracked open by sorrow. The broken heart aches with loneliness, pain, and confusion. The rupture in love feels … Read more

“He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” — Emily Brontë The loss of a child creates a bond that never breaks. A child becomes a part of the parent’s very soul. Grieving parents carry their children within, even when they are gone. Memories become … Read more

“The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald Grief can feel like a slow unraveling. The loss of a child can turn a vibrant life into silence. Many parents find themselves frozen, unable to react … Read more

“Time does not bring relief; you all have lied / Who told me time would ease me of my pain!” — Edna St. Vincent Millay Many grieving parents hear time will heal their broken hearts. The promise feels hollow when sorrow remains sharp and close. Pain does not fade with each passing day. The loss … Read more

“I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.” — Elizabeth Barrett Browning Grief does not diminish the love that remains after loss. A parent’s love stretches beyond the limits of time and space. Love given in laughter and tears … Read more