A Pilgrimage Through Grief

I finished grad school last December, but truthfully, it happened during one of the heaviest seasons of my life — watching my mother slowly change through dementia, and burying my best friend far too soon. It was important for me to protect both of their privacy despite people noticing signs and peaking through curiosity; keeping those guards up became a priority even when it felt like a silent spectacle living under a probing microscope.