Thoughts….

There is a quiet kind of heartbreak that comes with adulthood — the moment you realize your parents are aging, fragile, and human.

And sometimes, that realization comes with loss.

While grieving the passing of one parent, I find myself stepping into a new role with the other: caregiver, advocate, organizer, decision-maker. It is a role I never trained for, yet somehow carry every day.

Grief and responsibility now live side by side.

One moment I am remembering laughter, voices, and moments I wish I could revisit. The next, I am scheduling appointments, managing medications, asking hard questions, and making sure another parent is safe, supported, and not alone.

No one really talks about how heavy this season can feel.

As a single mother raising two children in Houston, I often feel stretched between generations — caring for the one who cared for me, while still showing up fully for the ones who depend on me.

Some days feel overwhelming.

There is paperwork.

There are decisions.

There are moments of role reversal that arrive without warning.

There are flashes of grief that surface in the quiet.

And yet, there is also unexpected tenderness.

There is meaning in sitting a little longer.

There is healing in listening to old stories.

There is perspective in realizing time is not promised.

There is love in showing up — again and again.

Grieving one parent while caring for another teaches you that love does not end with loss. It changes form. It deepens. It asks you to be present in ways you never were before.

It teaches patience.

It teaches grace.

It teaches you to say what matters while there is still time to say it.

Some days I feel strong.

Some days I feel fragile.

Some days I am both at once.

If you are walking this path — balancing grief with responsibility, loss with duty, love with exhaustion — please know you are not alone.

This season is heavy, but it is also sacred.

We are witnessing life in its most honest form.

We are honoring the past while caring for the present.

We are loving through the hardest transitions.

And that love, even in grief, is a powerful thing.