***This post was also featured on the Huffington Post as part of Common Grief, a Healthy Living editorial initiative.
Until I actually lost my mom to cancer, I had a really shallow understanding of grief.
Although I experienced loss and sympathized with others before— meaning, I mourned those who have died, attended funerals, sent notes, brought food, cried, prayed, and held hands— I had absolutely no idea what it really meant to grieve. I thought I did. But as it turns out, I didn’t.
