Grief changes us, but it doesn’t erase who we were. It layers us. Some parts get softer, some stronger, some wiser, some more tired. And sometimes you don’t realize how much you’ve changed until you’re back around people or places that belonged to an older version of your life.
I think what I am noticing now is that you don’t have to throw those old versions away. You can honor what they survived and still choose which version gets to lead from here.