Today is National Grief Awareness Day, and we wanted to approach it with the care it deserves rather than folding it into anything lighter.

Grief doesn’t move in a straight line, and it doesn’t always look like what people expect. It can show up as anger, as numbness, as exhaustion, as moments of genuine joy immediately followed by guilt for having felt them. All of it is normal. There’s no correct timeline and no wrong way to be moving through loss.

Our advisors who work with grieving clients often describe their role less as offering answers and more as offering steady, patient company. A reading in the context of grief isn’t about predicting when the pain will end. It’s often about helping someone feel less alone in a process that can be profoundly isolating, and about finding language for feelings that resist language.

If you’re grieving, whether the loss is recent or long-standing, know that support is available, and that there’s no requirement to have moved past it by any particular point. Take whatever time this actually takes.

If you’re struggling with grief or loss and would like support, our advisors are here to listen. And if you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, please reach out to a crisis line or mental health professional in addition to any support you seek here.