Before there is loss, there is a person who changes your world: a shared life, private jokes, routines that become second nature, and the quiet certainty of having found your person. And, when that person dies, grief is not simply the absence they leave behind. It is the reshaping of everyday life around that absence.

In this series, we are sharing the powerful stories of widowed members of our community, listening not only to how they have lived with loss, but to the relationships that came before it. Because every grief story is also a love story.

In this first piece, Sarah reflects on her life with her beloved Reena, the memories that still bring her close, and what it has meant to navigate widowhood as a woman grieving her same-sex partner. Her story is one of profound loss, enduring love and the importance of being truly seen in grief.

Where it all started

Before understanding the depth of a loss, I think it’s so important to understand the love that came before it. Grief is n...