“Freedom is not something that anybody can be given. Freedom is something people take, and people are as free as they want to be.” — James Baldwin
Grief changes everything, including how we understand freedom. Many grieving parents feel chained to sorrow, guilt, and silence. The weight of grief can feel suffocating. Society often expects grief to be tidy and time-bound. Parents who have lost a child know that grief follows no schedule. Freedom after loss does not come from permission. Freedom must be claimed, moment by moment. Each grieving person must choose how to honor their loss without becoming trapped in it. That choice takes time and courage.
Freedom in grief does not mean forgetting. Freedom means allowing grief to change shape without shame. The pain never disappears, but it can evolve. Many parents hold on tightly, fearing that loosening the pain will dishonor their child. But love does not disappear when sorrow softens. A parent can still love deeply while stepping toward life again. Taking freedom in grief means deciding when to speak, when to rest, and when to remember. Grief must be lived authentically. No one else can define what healing looks like.
Each person grieving a child walks a path no one else can fully understand. But we can still walk together. Taking back freedom after loss may begin with a single breath. A step outside. A moment of laughter without guilt. That freedom might look like tears in a public space. Or refusing to explain the grief again. Freedom does not mean escaping grief. Freedom means choosing how to carry it. Grief may stay, but love can lead us forward.
Thought for today: Take one step toward your own freedom today. Let grief walk beside you, not ahead of you.