Passing for Normal

As we prepare for our big move we have been looking back over our time in Australia. Without a doubt, one of the highlights has been joining Millie Brooks book club, Death Club for Cutie, where we read books about death and talk about living. Millie joins today to share about her daughter's diagnosis of Rett Syndrome lead her to start the book club and what she's learned from it. If you want to join Death Club for Cutie all of the details are on their instagram page https://www.instagram.com/death_clubforcutie/

Jared and Colleen talk about their adventure of moving back to Austria, as Americans, who haven't yet gotten comfortable with things working out. They discuss how grief impacts everything and how they are trying to find ways to enjoy what they can. 

Jared and Colleen discuss their upcoming move and the mental load that brings as well as the concept of integrating grief and moving with it, as a part of the story, not the center. 

In this episode Jared is back! We discussed the contentious relationship we have with Mother's Day and Bereaved Mother's Day, a bit of the history around the days, and if we could change things, what we would want to see. If you have any thoughts we would love to hear from you! Send a message on Instagram @_colleenenglish 

Chloe is back and we talk about senioritis as she counts down to high school graduation and Colleen counts down to the move. We discuss SMOs, significant moments of overwhelm and how each copes with them differently. 

We are back! In honor of siblings day, Chloe joined me to talk about what it's like being the typical, surviving sibling. She shares her hot takes on the concept of the glass child, growing with grief and what we managed to do right as parents. 

In this episode we discuss the life altering, disorienting process of recovering, falling into normal, and pursuing magic again.

After a hiatus, Jared is back! We talk briefly about where he's been and why he's returning to the podcast now. In honor of it being Father's Day down in Australia, we focused our conversation around a dad's perspective on being a parent/caregiver. Jared shares how he told strangers in Hobbiton about our chaotic life and why he thinks reading fantasy with the girls was one of his best dad moves.

After my unexpected hiatus I am back and discussing the funk I've been in and reflecting on one of the lessons I learned from Claire, to do hard things, you need support.

It is no secret that I don't love Mother's Day and the consumer based forced nature of the holiday. Plot twist, I was very excited to learn about the roots of the holiday and how inclusive it inherently is of the bereaved. I would love to hear your thoughts, do we need a bereaved Mother's Day too? Message me on Instagram @_colleenenglish