October 22, 2025 • 37 mins
How do you learn to breathe again after the unthinkable—after losing a child? In this powerful episode of Cry It Out Loud, we sit down with Melissa Hull, grief advocate, speaker, and author of Dear Drew, who lost her 4-year-old son in a tragic drowning accident. Melissa opens up about the moment that changed her life forever, the trauma that followed, and her courageous journey to rebuild a life filled with meaning, purpose, and joy again.
Together, we explore the reality of child loss, complicated grief, PTSD, trauma, anger, guilt, isolation, and society’s silence around bereavement. This conversation shatters stigma and gives language to a pain so many parents carry alone. Melissa also shares life-changing tools for healing, including how to:
Coexist with grief while still choosing to live
Integrate trauma instead of being defined by it
Rebuild self-identity after loss
Support grieving parents in ways that are actually helpful
Find purpose, connection, and hope again
If you or someone you love has experienced child loss, miscarriage, stillbirth, infant loss, or deep grief, this episode will help you feel seen, validated, and less alone. Grief doesn’t end but it can transform.
This episode is for every grieving parent, every trauma survivor, and every person trying to support someone through a pain they can’t fix but refuse to ignore.
Listen in and subscribe for more conversations on grief, trauma, healing, infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, and the lifelong journey of love after loss.
Visit BabyLossAwareness.org to get involved, volunteer, give or honor your child.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:12):
Crying Out Loud, a podcast by Chasing the Rainbows with your
host Bernice Quisenberry. Welcome to Cry It Out Loud, a
podcast by Chasing the Rainbows,where we honor every story of
loss and shine a light on the path toward healing.
(00:34):
Today's guest is someone whose journey through grief has
touched countless lives. Melissa Hall after the tragic
loss of her four year old son ina drowning accident.
Melissa spent the last 20 years on a path of heartbreak,
resilience, and transformation. Out of her pain, she created the
Greater Than Grief Movement, a coaching practice, a podcast,
and sooner upcoming book, Dear Drew, Creating a Life Bigger
(00:57):
Than Grief. Melissa has been featured in USA
TODAY, Forbes, CNBCMSNBC, and most recently on FOX 5 Live, and
she continues to share a messagethat resonates with so many.
Grief doesn't define us. The choices we make in its
presence do. Melissa, thank you for being
here today. I know our listeners will be
(01:19):
moved and inspired by your story, your wisdom, and the way
you've redefined grief as an invitation to live fully.
Thank you. Well, thank you so much for
having me today. I've, I've been really looking
forward to this podcast interview.
So I just once again, I want to thank you for inviting me and I
look forward to our conversation.
(01:40):
Oh, well, thank you so much, Melissa.
That means a lot. And yes, I would love for you to
start by our guests and listeners, you know, getting to
know you. Sure.
So my name is Melissa Hall. I am the mother of three amazing
children, one who resides in heaven.
My journey began with loss and bereavement at an early age.
(02:04):
My mother was a cancer patient when I was 10 years old, and she
had to move away from our home for the treatment that she
needed because our community wastoo small and we didn't have the
right doctors for her. And so I, my introduction to
grief was one that was really based in a lot of fear, a lot of
anxiety. I was 10 years old.
(02:26):
So that was, you know, 40 years ago.
And cancer was a very different diagnosis back then.
The prognosis wasn't expected tobe very good for my mother.
So I lived with this anticipation of loss and really
created a story in my mind that grief was something that I
(02:46):
needed to fear and avoid at all cost.
Because the outcome and the reality of losing my mother at
the time was so much more than my my little heart could handle.
So in in some ways, I think whenwhen the accident with my son
happened later, I had this ingrained belief system around
(03:11):
loss and bereavement and grief, one that didn't serve me well.
But what happened on the morningof my son's accident?
I was married, a young mother. I was 29 years old at the time
and I had these two amazing little boys that were 15 months
apart. Drew was the oldest and he was
(03:32):
my absolute wild child. He just, he lived so fully every
minute of his life. And on this particular morning,
his younger brother Devin had asthma as a toddler.
And I had been up for a few daysgiving him breathing treatments,
just trying like heck to avoid having to take my 2 little boys
(03:53):
to the emergency room because I knew Drew would not sit still
and and behave when my husband was out of town at the time.
So I had been just up doing whatwe moms do, taking care of my
little boys. And on this particular morning,
after a very long night of breathing treatments with Devin
Drew, who always woke up at the crack of dawn, and we actually
(04:17):
had a little rule and he couldn't get out of his bed
until the sun was actually up inthe sky.
He had to wait for the sun to beup in the sky.
So on this morning, he ran into my bedroom where Devin was
laying next to me and he said, Mama, Mama, the sun is up.
It's time to get up. It's time to get up and I'm so
(04:38):
tired. I'm like just so tired.
But I said he's right, the sun is up.
That's the rule. So I got up with him and he had
two requests for breakfast. He wanted Rocky red ice cream
and beef raviolis. So we settled on some beef
raviolis and I got him his his plate of food.
(05:00):
He wanted to watch Thomas the Tank Engine.
So I turned on his favorite program, give him some plans and
paper to draw. And I said, hey, sweetheart,
I've got to go back and check onDevin now because he hasn't been
feeling well. And he said, OK, Mama.
And I said I will be right back.And those are, you know, those
last words. Yeah.
(05:20):
There's the last words I said tomy son is I'll be right back,
sweetheart. So I go back to my bedroom and I
can see Devin is just really struggling to breathe.
And I can't give him another breathing treatment because it's
not. It's too soon.
So I just kind of sit beside himon my side, just kind of patting
his back. And I must have inadvertently
(05:41):
fallen asleep because I woke up.And when I woke up, I it was in
like a panicked state. I knew.
I knew instantly that I needed to go find Drew because the
house was really quiet and that's just not normal when Drew
is in the house. So as I started to look for him,
I looked in all the usual hidingplaces, you know, under the bed
(06:01):
hind curtains, you know, in closets.
And I, I couldn't find him. And as I'm looking for him, the
panic is now growing and I'm starting to really become very
fearful that something is wrong.And then I saw that the back
door was open ever so slightly. And then I thought, OK, great.
(06:23):
He's just outside. He's outside because he loved to
be outside. He, he was, he was, you know, he
was only four and a half at the time.
And he left to climb trees and get up on the roof like this
child. Just, he was a handful.
Like he just had No Fear and allthis energy and all these
creative ideas of how he's goingto spend his time.
So I'm outside thinking, OK, I, I looked in the trees, I looked
(06:48):
around the property and then I happened to notice as I'm crying
out for him, Drew, mommy's looking for you.
Please let me know where you are.
I'm getting scared. I happened to walk towards the
front of our property and I noticed our dogs were running
toward me. So they were away from the
property, running back toward it.
(07:09):
And I looked at, as they got closer, I looked at them and one
of them was completely wet. And I thought, what in the heck?
Why are you? Why are you wet?
And then I thought, Oh my God, the irrigation canal.
And I looked down at the ground and I could see my son's
(07:29):
footprints headed towards that irrigation canal.
And so in that moment, I recognized my son was in great
danger. And I ran immediately to this
irrigation canal, which is common in my community because
we have such large agricultural enterprises here.
And when I arrived at the canal,I could see the evidence of
(07:55):
where some dirt had broken away from the top embankment.
And there was a splash on the the canal on, you know, that I
could see. And I just knew he had fallen
in. And so I dropped to my knees and
I remember begging God to please, please, please help me
find him and to please let him be OK.
(08:20):
It was about this time that a gentleman drove by and I begged
him to call the authorities because I just ran out of the
house. I didn't bring a phone.
I, I just was searching for my child and he did call the
authorities and because Devin was back at home, I said I've
got to go back and go get my sonto bring him with me to, to look
(08:42):
for Drew. And by the time I reached the
home and got the Devin that my house was just full of police
and fire department, the Sheriff's Department and then
friends and family started to arrive.
My husband at the time was away on business, so it took him a
few hours to come home. And as we were all searching or
(09:07):
they were all searching, they wanted me to stay at the house
with Devin. And so I did.
And it was probably about five hours later that my father came
and sat next to me and he put his arm around me.
And in that moment, I, I just, Iknew.
And he said, Miss, I'm so sorry.They found him and he's gone.
(09:30):
And I, I remember thinking in that moment after, you know,
this, this devastating wave of unimaginable pain, just
unimaginable sorrow just overcame me.
I just thought, my life will never be the same.
It will never. I will never be happy again.
(09:53):
That was that was almost that instant kind of narrative that
my mind took me to. And the reason I brought up my
my childhood is because I think my relationship with grief, that
story was so present that that'swhy I had that initial thought.
I was preparing myself for this life of misery, this life of
(10:15):
disappointment, this life of despair, this life of anguish
and uncertainty because the accident really robbed my sense
of safety. It really like, it really
challenged my ability to feel safe in a world that I can't
predict or control outcomes in. And so from that point forward,
(10:39):
you know, it, it, it was a toughRd.
You know, my husband and I, we on the surface and to everybody
who knew us, we look like we're doing fine.
But we had cracks in our foundation and our marriage and
the grief, we grieved in entirely different ways.
And because I was the parent that was home that, you know,
(11:00):
and I fell asleep, there was some blame.
There was some blame for a period of time.
And it just became really obvious that we needed to take
some time apart. And so a month after Drew's
burial, my husband made the decision and, and I, and I, I
understood the decision, but I can't say I was in support of
it, but I understood his need for some space.
(11:23):
And so he made the decision to leave.
And that is when that story thatI had told myself in that moment
really started to manifest. I was living my worst nightmare.
I'd lost my son and now my husband.
I'm not sure if I'm going to have a marriage.
I'm not sure if I'm going to be forgiven.
All I know is that I don't know how to handle this life.
(11:44):
I didn't ask for this life. I don't know what to do with all
of this pain. And I certainly didn't have any
internal resources at the time to really process all of the
losses that I was going through at that time.
So my, my journey with grief in that moment was one of self
(12:06):
hatred and blame shame because Ifelt like it was my fault and
responsibility that I had failedas a mother, that I, I wasn't
even sure if I felt confident tocontinue raising my, you know,
raising Devin. And I really struggled mentally
for a time. And I remember at my lowest
(12:29):
point, which was the first time that Joey had come to pick Devin
up to stay with him for a night at his new home.
I remember saying goodbye to Devin and sitting on my sofa and
holding a picture of Drew close to my heart and saying, God, I
can't do it. I can't do this.
I just can't carry it all. So I had this, you know, I, I'm
(12:51):
not going to say that I hadn't been considering ending my life
before this, But there was this moment of really kind of that
dark night of the soul where I was at that crossroads.
What am I going to do? Am I going to give in to this?
Am I going to succumb to this or, or do I want to try to fight
through it? And honestly, at the time, I was
(13:11):
leaning more towards just letting this life go.
And then I, I paused and, and I was crying and I sent Drew's
picture down. And I remember looking at the
coffee table and there were somecondolence cards that I hadn't
opened yet. And I knew what they were and I
just didn't. I just couldn't bring myself to
read one more, you know, I'm sorry for your loss kind of
(13:34):
card. So there was this business
envelope, a white business envelope that was addressed to
me. It just and it was handwritten.
There was no like it wasn't mailed somebody.
Somehow it got to my home and I don't know if it was dropped off
and somebody brought it into thehouse, but it said to the mother
of Drew Gallimore and that's allit said.
And I'm like, well, what the heck is this?
(13:55):
So I pick it up and I open this letter.
And it was a letter from anothermother in my community, or at
least I believe in my community,who was reaching out because she
lost her daughter to an accidental car accident.
They were ready to go to school and she had left her purse in
(14:17):
the house, so they had gone to the car.
She said, sweetheart, I left my keys in the house.
So she went back into the house to get her keys.
And she's explaining this in herletter.
And her little girl somehow ran into the road and was struck by
a, a, a vehicle passing by. And she wrote to me and she
explained in the most eloquent way that she understood the kind
(14:39):
of pain that I was going throughfrom the perspective of feeling
responsible and feeling the shame and the guilt and the the
blame for what had happened. She said, I, I, I understand
that you're probably feeling those emotions.
I know I did. And then she said, but I want to
encourage you to hold on to the beautiful memories of your son
(15:02):
and let and let love and joy be your compass forward.
She said you will have to chooseit and it will be a daily
choice. It will be something that will
feel like you're taking a few steps forward and maybe 1000
steps back in one day. But you have to point your
compass toward joy and happiness.
It's the only way forward in, into bring your son's love with
(15:25):
you. And so I, I, I, I, I have this
letter in this woman's message of hope at my crossroads, at
this pivotal moment in my, my life.
And I decided to live. I decided, OK, I, if, if, if she
can do this and it. And she went on to talk about
(15:48):
what her life was like today andthat she was living with meaning
and fulfillment and that she, you know, found, you know,
community service and outreach as a, as a healing mechanism for
her. And at the time, water safety
education and canal safety awareness was not something that
was going on in my community. And so that was the decision I
(16:11):
made. I made the choice in that moment
that I was going to not only live, but if I was going to live
that I was going to bring Drew'samazing, you know, life along
with me. And so I started talking about
water safety education to the most at risk demographic, which
are little boys and little girlsunder the age of five.
(16:33):
And little boys are at the top of that demographic for being
most at risk. And so I started talking to his
preschool and his friends 1st and then I branched off into
other, you know, preschools in the area.
And that's how I began to walk forward with grief in a new way,
(16:55):
in a different way, with the intentional decision that I
didn't know how I would get there, but that my goal in my,
my desire was to not let the pain and the agony of losing my
son be the end of his story or my life.
And so that's when I decided to just intentionally find ways to
(17:18):
bring him more into my world through the work that I do and I
and honestly, I've never stopped.
It's definitely changed and evolved.
I went from talking about water safety education to eventually
writing my first book, Lessons from Neverland.
And that that was based on the, the one year where I spent every
(17:42):
day for one year writing Drew a letter.
And so dear Drew, my book, Dear Drew, Creating a Life Bigger
than Grief is really, it's chronicled from partly those
letters that I wrote to him and the other part, what I've
learned and what I did to support myself to attain that
(18:02):
goal of living a life of empowerment, fulfilment,
meaning, and actually like absolute joy.
I live a much different life nowbecause I have taken the time to
let grief be one of the most profound teachers of my life.
(18:24):
And how you've just used it well, instead of shape so many
different aspects of your life because it is, it's at times
it's so overwhelming, it swallows you whole.
And to take that and then now, you know, educate and advocate
for, you know, others and to help them and to feel seen and
(18:45):
heard, but also, you know, awareness around being proactive
and things like that. It's huge.
Well, thank you. I, it's, it's, it's truly the
most meaningful work I, I think I could ever find or do it, it,
it's brought me a lot of healing, honestly, connecting
(19:06):
with other, other parents or people that have lost a
significant beloved or loved oneor spouse or sibling.
I, I, I've talked with thousandsof people and the one, the one
question that I kept hearing washow, how did you do this?
(19:30):
Because when they would meet me,I wasn't downtrodden and
depressed and my energy levels were upbeat and I was happy,
truly happy. Because I'm, I'm fulfilling my
purpose, which is to bring Drew's beautiful life forward in
such a way that it helps preventfuture water.
You know Future Drownings helps to educate parents around the
(19:56):
lesser known and acknowledged water hazards.
And so I felt like we were together making this
contribution, but the how part, the how part was hard for me to
answer. I didn't like I, I didn't
necessarily stop and think, well, what did I do at this
particular juncture that really did help me kind of mend this
(20:19):
heart or end that cycle of questions that were really
limiting or self punishing. What did I do?
And once again, I turned to my, you know, turned back to my
writing, my journaling, and it was very clear.
I, you know, the, the different approaches that I took.
I tried so many things. I was a curious griever.
(20:40):
Like I went to drumming ceremonies.
I went to, you know, healing or you know, healing like Sajana
where they they the energy and the vortex and I drove into
everything greatly so cellular release healing.
And then I went on to study it and it become certified in these
(21:03):
different modalities along with traditional therapy and the
support of my faith community and my family.
I forged this very, you know, zigzaggy kind of path towards
what supported me. But I wrote it down.
And so I had, I had a lot of information to pull from.
(21:24):
So while I was asked by all of these people the how I didn't
have an answer in that moment, but I intentionally took the
time to go back and answer that question.
And I started with that first moment.
How did I go from that, that belief that my life was over and
that I would never find any sortof joy or happiness and I
deserved, you know, that I was just the worst mother in the
(21:45):
world to knowing that not only was IA loving mother before the
accident, I was a loving mother the day of the accident and I'm
a loving mother today. None of that has ever changed.
All that has changed is what I believe about myself.
And that was and so I just did. I started to really dive into
(22:08):
what helped me shift and and release a lot of those old
experiences and old fears aroundwhat grief had to mean and let
it teach me. And the lessons are beautiful if
you allow for them to become that.
I understand. And I am not here to say that it
(22:30):
doesn't hurt it This process hurt.
It hurt like hell. It brought me to the brink more
than once. But there was always this thread
of this idea of a future that would be joyful, that could be
light, and that I could make a positive difference even even
(22:53):
though my son wouldn't be physically here.
How could I take our love in hislife and his legacy and let it
be a tribute to him? And that's what I, that's what
really began to shape or reshapemy relationship with grief.
I never, I never understood why people would say that grief was,
(23:16):
you know, something we'd go through.
And it's like love with nowhere to go.
I actually never felt like that.I always felt like no, no, no,
no. Grief is the presence of loves
in art. It's it's it's Love's presence
in and it's begging our consciousness to reach beyond
(23:37):
the pain and to acknowledge the love always remains.
The one thing I know for sure isthat love will always outlast
life. It will remain long after we are
not here and the left that we have for our children continues.
Even though we are in the situation that no parent wants
(24:00):
to be in and we have lost them, it doesn't mean that we've lost
them entirely. We've lost the physical, you
know, human connection. But the love and the that that
infinite love that will always remain is where I found more
peace in this journey than anywhere else is just really
(24:23):
rejecting this idea that grief has to be this place where only
love disappears. No grief.
Grief was my my consciousness challenging my life story and
experiences and the narratives that I created and really
calling me forward into a different relationship, not only
with myself, but with grief and then with the world.
(24:47):
And so it just, it profoundly changed me and the work that I
wanted to do. And I wanted to start writing to
people like myself. And so I started writing blogs
and I wrote my first book and myfirst book, you know, presented
opportunities for me to start tobecome a public speaker.
(25:08):
And I travelled the world. I'm sharing my story of
overcoming adversities into finding, you know, a purpose.
Maybe not the chosen purpose, but a purpose that has truly
shaped my life in a healthy, positive and profoundly peaceful
and loving way. And you're, you're spot on.
(25:31):
I mean, just to name a couple things.
You know, when you're sharing about grief and it not being
linear, right? Like our journey with it either
is the healing process or, or because we need to feel our
feelings to continue with healing.
And when you're going through that, sometimes journaling may
work, sometimes, sometimes mindful movement may work, you
(25:52):
know, and, and it really just depends on what you find for
comfort in those in those moments.
But also we are what we think, right?
So then you having this way of using journaling to like in a
healthy way, then start to tell yourself, right, because that
shame, blame and guilt just can eat you alive.
And if you stay in that space, but to be around others who
(26:16):
understand and are your true support systems to help you see
your value when you can in thosedarkest moments.
And then also to start to re like train your brain to then
start to think differently and then turn it into something so
beautiful when you like repurpose your pain into helping
(26:38):
others, Melissa, and not allowing it to keep you down and
to keep you in a depressed state.
And now you celebrate Drew's life.
You honor him out loud by helping others is just.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
I'm, I'm very grateful for the life that I've had.
(27:01):
And I say that and I understand what I'm saying.
I am grateful for it all. I, I love the woman that I have
become because of my experienceswith grades.
I am so clear on what is important.
I understand the value of being truly present with the people
(27:24):
that I love. And I also know that I don't
wait. I don't wait to say it.
If I, if I, if I love you, you're going to hear it 1000
times, you know, and I'm going to, I'm going to hug you.
I'm going to want to gather and be with you because I have come
to realize that the most valuable things that I have are
(27:46):
in the memories of the moments that I shared, not just with
Drew, but with every person thathas meaning in my life.
And so I made I, I don't know where I heard the phrase, but it
really resonated with me. I wanted to become a moments
millionaire. I wanted a million moments with
(28:08):
the people that I love, with theplaces that renew my soul, that
bring me peace. I wanted a million of those
moments to hold onto. And then I also recognized that
what I was doing was giving those people also the same gift
that I was receiving, which was I have all of these beautiful
(28:29):
memories of my son. I actually want those memories
with every single person that I know.
And when my life ends and when Itransition, I want my legacy to
be that. She lived with purpose, she
lived with love, and she loved big.
That's what I want. Purposefully living.
(28:52):
Oh my goodness, we had a whole episode on it months ago.
But it's so true with this shapes you into then like your
time, your time is so you realize it's so valuable.
So who you spend it with, what you spend doing with it.
That's the only thing. Like when, you know, we hear
about people who are about to pass away and they're on their,
(29:13):
you know, last moments and they say, you know, I wish I had more
time. They never say, you know, I wish
I worked more. I wish I had more money.
It comes down to those moments and getting as many as you can
in and it's so true. Now living with that purpose and
you're intentionally living. Absolutely.
(29:34):
And you know, I feel I feel inspired to say something right
now. I'm sure that a lot of your
listeners are probably at the beginning phases of their
journey with grief. And one of the most helpful
things that was ever said to me was that grief can be the
reflection of love. It's, it's not, it's, it's the
(29:57):
shadow side of Love's brillianceor the mirror reflection of the
beauty and the uniqueness of theperson that we lost.
And so if we can, if we can finda way to look at it in that
context, for me, it was it was validation of just how special
(30:20):
my connection with my son was and just how beautiful his life
was and how beautiful he was. And it stopped being this thing
that I felt like I had to get away from.
And I actually started to let itbe something that I could sit
with because it stopped being this this message of punishment.
And it started to be the testament, the testament of what
(30:43):
was what would always remain, which is the love that we shared
between us. And I think it's really
important to give people that message, especially early on,
because there are a lot of, there are a lot of things that
society tells us there's a lot of, you know, there's a lot of
well meaning platitudes and, andphrases that we hear a lot,
(31:05):
right? Yes.
I always found that the most helpful were about the
acknowledgement, not shying awayfrom the reality of what I was
dealing with, but also the acknowledgement that pain wasn't
the only story that was being told here.
That if I could, I was experiencing pain and my
emotions were definitely, you know, harder to, to, you know,
(31:29):
to, to move forward at times because it, it does hurt our
hearts break it in that weight that we feel.
I was feeling all of those things, but when I could tap
into that truth, that Love's brilliance, if there is a
shadow, it is in that when we lose someone that we treasure,
(31:53):
that is that that there's a painful separation.
But it doesn't mean that love isabsent.
It means that love is evident, that love is present.
And that was where I truly foundI started to grow, not only in
my capacity to hold space for mypain, but to hold space for the
(32:13):
idea that maybe there was a new way for me to to operate inside
of this experience and to stop seeing it just as the worst day
that ever happened to me. But to start to see it as the
day I was being asked to become this person that you see before
you today. It was an invitation.
(32:34):
It was an invitation to expand beyond the circumstances and to
allow my son's love and my love for my son to become a driving
force in my desire to move forward.
Not move on, but move forward and to bring him with me.
That is how I began to do it. Oh, Melissa, thank you for
(32:55):
sharing that. Oh, I, oh, just sharing all of
it really tugs on the heartstrings.
And to see you here today and how you share about it, just for
a lack of a better word, beautifully, I mean.
Thank you. Yes, thank you.
Is there anything that you want to leave our listeners with any
(33:16):
words of wisdom, you know, hearing, you know, and also
where your book can be found? Of course you know the links up
and everything in our podcast description.
Sure. I want every person that's
listening to this podcast to know that I speak from a place
of truth. I am speaking from my own
(33:36):
testimony of what grief has become in my life.
It is my hope, my hope that my book can can serve you in some
way because it is possible. Is is as much as you may not
believe that in this moment, I want to challenge you and I want
to be an example that you can. You can make the choice to honor
(34:00):
your loved one by living a vibrant life and it is not a
betrayal. It is the most loving and
beautiful tribute to the person that you want to honor by living
fully, living freely, and celebrating all of the love and
the joy that you got to experience because of their
(34:23):
existence. And hold on to that love even
when it feels like it's outside of your reach.
To close your eyes, put your hand on your heart and say to
yourself, I have not lost you. I need to find you in search for
you differently. Help me to find your presence in
this moment. And then just be.
(34:43):
And I promise you, it is a miraculous thing that happens.
Your heart opens up, your mind quiets, and you can just feel
them come into the room with you.
And that love is so present, that is my greatest hope, is
that people understand that grief is an invitation to expand
beyond what we have come to think of grief as being.
(35:06):
It is a beckoning, A beckoning for our consciousness to
acknowledge that love is ever present.
We just have to seek it differently.
Melissa, just thank you for sharing your heart and your
story with us today. You're very welcome.
I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to be with your
community, so thank you very much.
(35:28):
Yes, and just sharing so openly and honestly, that's what we're
about here and you know, going through the pain, but also, you
know, still having your love in different ways now and how
profound it is just really comesacross and I can't thank you
enough for that. Well, I appreciate the
opportunity to be here and the work that I do.
(35:51):
I, I have resources on water safety education and I write a
weekly blog to support grievers.My website is my, my name,
melissahall.com and there are tons of resources there.
I have communities where we, we support each other and I come
and I talk and, and I share moreof my journey.
So if anyone listening would like to find more support, they
(36:14):
can certainly find me on social media or going straight to my
website. And you can also find the links
to my book Dear Drew, Creating aLife Bigger Than Grief there as
well. Oh, that's great.
Thank you, Melissa. Your journey, yes.
And your journey does remind us.While grief never truly leaves
us, it can also be a source of strength, transformation and
(36:35):
compassion. So thank you.
You're. Very welcome.
For our listeners, if you are grieving or searching for ways
to get involved, we want to knowwho you are and that you're not
alone. At Cheese and the Rainbows, our
mission is to ensure that every baby loss matters.
So if you need support or if you'd like to join us in raising
awareness and honoring families,please visit
babylossawareness.org. And until next time, we are
(36:57):
always with you. We see you, we are you, and
we'll talk to you soon.
Crying Out Loud, a podcast by Chasing the Rainbows with your
host Bernice Quisenberry. Welcome to Cry It Out Loud, a
podcast by Chasing the Rainbows,where we honor every story of
loss and shine a light on the path toward healing.
(00:34):
Today's guest is someone whose journey through grief has
touched countless lives. Melissa Hall after the tragic
loss of her four year old son ina drowning accident.
Melissa spent the last 20 years on a path of heartbreak,
resilience, and transformation. Out of her pain, she created the
Greater Than Grief Movement, a coaching practice, a podcast,
and sooner upcoming book, Dear Drew, Creating a Life Bigger
(00:57):
Than Grief. Melissa has been featured in USA
TODAY, Forbes, CNBCMSNBC, and most recently on FOX 5 Live, and
she continues to share a messagethat resonates with so many.
Grief doesn't define us. The choices we make in its
presence do. Melissa, thank you for being
here today. I know our listeners will be
(01:19):
moved and inspired by your story, your wisdom, and the way
you've redefined grief as an invitation to live fully.
Thank you. Well, thank you so much for
having me today. I've, I've been really looking
forward to this podcast interview.
So I just once again, I want to thank you for inviting me and I
look forward to our conversation.
(01:40):
Oh, well, thank you so much, Melissa.
That means a lot. And yes, I would love for you to
start by our guests and listeners, you know, getting to
know you. Sure.
So my name is Melissa Hall. I am the mother of three amazing
children, one who resides in heaven.
My journey began with loss and bereavement at an early age.
(02:04):
My mother was a cancer patient when I was 10 years old, and she
had to move away from our home for the treatment that she
needed because our community wastoo small and we didn't have the
right doctors for her. And so I, my introduction to
grief was one that was really based in a lot of fear, a lot of
anxiety. I was 10 years old.
(02:26):
So that was, you know, 40 years ago.
And cancer was a very different diagnosis back then.
The prognosis wasn't expected tobe very good for my mother.
So I lived with this anticipation of loss and really
created a story in my mind that grief was something that I
(02:46):
needed to fear and avoid at all cost.
Because the outcome and the reality of losing my mother at
the time was so much more than my my little heart could handle.
So in in some ways, I think whenwhen the accident with my son
happened later, I had this ingrained belief system around
(03:11):
loss and bereavement and grief, one that didn't serve me well.
But what happened on the morningof my son's accident?
I was married, a young mother. I was 29 years old at the time
and I had these two amazing little boys that were 15 months
apart. Drew was the oldest and he was
(03:32):
my absolute wild child. He just, he lived so fully every
minute of his life. And on this particular morning,
his younger brother Devin had asthma as a toddler.
And I had been up for a few daysgiving him breathing treatments,
just trying like heck to avoid having to take my 2 little boys
(03:53):
to the emergency room because I knew Drew would not sit still
and and behave when my husband was out of town at the time.
So I had been just up doing whatwe moms do, taking care of my
little boys. And on this particular morning,
after a very long night of breathing treatments with Devin
Drew, who always woke up at the crack of dawn, and we actually
(04:17):
had a little rule and he couldn't get out of his bed
until the sun was actually up inthe sky.
He had to wait for the sun to beup in the sky.
So on this morning, he ran into my bedroom where Devin was
laying next to me and he said, Mama, Mama, the sun is up.
It's time to get up. It's time to get up and I'm so
(04:38):
tired. I'm like just so tired.
But I said he's right, the sun is up.
That's the rule. So I got up with him and he had
two requests for breakfast. He wanted Rocky red ice cream
and beef raviolis. So we settled on some beef
raviolis and I got him his his plate of food.
(05:00):
He wanted to watch Thomas the Tank Engine.
So I turned on his favorite program, give him some plans and
paper to draw. And I said, hey, sweetheart,
I've got to go back and check onDevin now because he hasn't been
feeling well. And he said, OK, Mama.
And I said I will be right back.And those are, you know, those
last words. Yeah.
(05:20):
There's the last words I said tomy son is I'll be right back,
sweetheart. So I go back to my bedroom and I
can see Devin is just really struggling to breathe.
And I can't give him another breathing treatment because it's
not. It's too soon.
So I just kind of sit beside himon my side, just kind of patting
his back. And I must have inadvertently
(05:41):
fallen asleep because I woke up.And when I woke up, I it was in
like a panicked state. I knew.
I knew instantly that I needed to go find Drew because the
house was really quiet and that's just not normal when Drew
is in the house. So as I started to look for him,
I looked in all the usual hidingplaces, you know, under the bed
(06:01):
hind curtains, you know, in closets.
And I, I couldn't find him. And as I'm looking for him, the
panic is now growing and I'm starting to really become very
fearful that something is wrong.And then I saw that the back
door was open ever so slightly. And then I thought, OK, great.
(06:23):
He's just outside. He's outside because he loved to
be outside. He, he was, he was, you know, he
was only four and a half at the time.
And he left to climb trees and get up on the roof like this
child. Just, he was a handful.
Like he just had No Fear and allthis energy and all these
creative ideas of how he's goingto spend his time.
So I'm outside thinking, OK, I, I looked in the trees, I looked
(06:48):
around the property and then I happened to notice as I'm crying
out for him, Drew, mommy's looking for you.
Please let me know where you are.
I'm getting scared. I happened to walk towards the
front of our property and I noticed our dogs were running
toward me. So they were away from the
property, running back toward it.
(07:09):
And I looked at, as they got closer, I looked at them and one
of them was completely wet. And I thought, what in the heck?
Why are you? Why are you wet?
And then I thought, Oh my God, the irrigation canal.
And I looked down at the ground and I could see my son's
(07:29):
footprints headed towards that irrigation canal.
And so in that moment, I recognized my son was in great
danger. And I ran immediately to this
irrigation canal, which is common in my community because
we have such large agricultural enterprises here.
And when I arrived at the canal,I could see the evidence of
(07:55):
where some dirt had broken away from the top embankment.
And there was a splash on the the canal on, you know, that I
could see. And I just knew he had fallen
in. And so I dropped to my knees and
I remember begging God to please, please, please help me
find him and to please let him be OK.
(08:20):
It was about this time that a gentleman drove by and I begged
him to call the authorities because I just ran out of the
house. I didn't bring a phone.
I, I just was searching for my child and he did call the
authorities and because Devin was back at home, I said I've
got to go back and go get my sonto bring him with me to, to look
(08:42):
for Drew. And by the time I reached the
home and got the Devin that my house was just full of police
and fire department, the Sheriff's Department and then
friends and family started to arrive.
My husband at the time was away on business, so it took him a
few hours to come home. And as we were all searching or
(09:07):
they were all searching, they wanted me to stay at the house
with Devin. And so I did.
And it was probably about five hours later that my father came
and sat next to me and he put his arm around me.
And in that moment, I, I just, Iknew.
And he said, Miss, I'm so sorry.They found him and he's gone.
(09:30):
And I, I remember thinking in that moment after, you know,
this, this devastating wave of unimaginable pain, just
unimaginable sorrow just overcame me.
I just thought, my life will never be the same.
It will never. I will never be happy again.
(09:53):
That was that was almost that instant kind of narrative that
my mind took me to. And the reason I brought up my
my childhood is because I think my relationship with grief, that
story was so present that that'swhy I had that initial thought.
I was preparing myself for this life of misery, this life of
(10:15):
disappointment, this life of despair, this life of anguish
and uncertainty because the accident really robbed my sense
of safety. It really like, it really
challenged my ability to feel safe in a world that I can't
predict or control outcomes in. And so from that point forward,
(10:39):
you know, it, it, it was a toughRd.
You know, my husband and I, we on the surface and to everybody
who knew us, we look like we're doing fine.
But we had cracks in our foundation and our marriage and
the grief, we grieved in entirely different ways.
And because I was the parent that was home that, you know,
(11:00):
and I fell asleep, there was some blame.
There was some blame for a period of time.
And it just became really obvious that we needed to take
some time apart. And so a month after Drew's
burial, my husband made the decision and, and I, and I, I
understood the decision, but I can't say I was in support of
it, but I understood his need for some space.
(11:23):
And so he made the decision to leave.
And that is when that story thatI had told myself in that moment
really started to manifest. I was living my worst nightmare.
I'd lost my son and now my husband.
I'm not sure if I'm going to have a marriage.
I'm not sure if I'm going to be forgiven.
All I know is that I don't know how to handle this life.
(11:44):
I didn't ask for this life. I don't know what to do with all
of this pain. And I certainly didn't have any
internal resources at the time to really process all of the
losses that I was going through at that time.
So my, my journey with grief in that moment was one of self
(12:06):
hatred and blame shame because Ifelt like it was my fault and
responsibility that I had failedas a mother, that I, I wasn't
even sure if I felt confident tocontinue raising my, you know,
raising Devin. And I really struggled mentally
for a time. And I remember at my lowest
(12:29):
point, which was the first time that Joey had come to pick Devin
up to stay with him for a night at his new home.
I remember saying goodbye to Devin and sitting on my sofa and
holding a picture of Drew close to my heart and saying, God, I
can't do it. I can't do this.
I just can't carry it all. So I had this, you know, I, I'm
(12:51):
not going to say that I hadn't been considering ending my life
before this, But there was this moment of really kind of that
dark night of the soul where I was at that crossroads.
What am I going to do? Am I going to give in to this?
Am I going to succumb to this or, or do I want to try to fight
through it? And honestly, at the time, I was
(13:11):
leaning more towards just letting this life go.
And then I, I paused and, and I was crying and I sent Drew's
picture down. And I remember looking at the
coffee table and there were somecondolence cards that I hadn't
opened yet. And I knew what they were and I
just didn't. I just couldn't bring myself to
read one more, you know, I'm sorry for your loss kind of
(13:34):
card. So there was this business
envelope, a white business envelope that was addressed to
me. It just and it was handwritten.
There was no like it wasn't mailed somebody.
Somehow it got to my home and I don't know if it was dropped off
and somebody brought it into thehouse, but it said to the mother
of Drew Gallimore and that's allit said.
And I'm like, well, what the heck is this?
(13:55):
So I pick it up and I open this letter.
And it was a letter from anothermother in my community, or at
least I believe in my community,who was reaching out because she
lost her daughter to an accidental car accident.
They were ready to go to school and she had left her purse in
(14:17):
the house, so they had gone to the car.
She said, sweetheart, I left my keys in the house.
So she went back into the house to get her keys.
And she's explaining this in herletter.
And her little girl somehow ran into the road and was struck by
a, a, a vehicle passing by. And she wrote to me and she
explained in the most eloquent way that she understood the kind
(14:39):
of pain that I was going throughfrom the perspective of feeling
responsible and feeling the shame and the guilt and the the
blame for what had happened. She said, I, I, I understand
that you're probably feeling those emotions.
I know I did. And then she said, but I want to
encourage you to hold on to the beautiful memories of your son
(15:02):
and let and let love and joy be your compass forward.
She said you will have to chooseit and it will be a daily
choice. It will be something that will
feel like you're taking a few steps forward and maybe 1000
steps back in one day. But you have to point your
compass toward joy and happiness.
It's the only way forward in, into bring your son's love with
(15:25):
you. And so I, I, I, I, I have this
letter in this woman's message of hope at my crossroads, at
this pivotal moment in my, my life.
And I decided to live. I decided, OK, I, if, if, if she
can do this and it. And she went on to talk about
(15:48):
what her life was like today andthat she was living with meaning
and fulfillment and that she, you know, found, you know,
community service and outreach as a, as a healing mechanism for
her. And at the time, water safety
education and canal safety awareness was not something that
was going on in my community. And so that was the decision I
(16:11):
made. I made the choice in that moment
that I was going to not only live, but if I was going to live
that I was going to bring Drew'samazing, you know, life along
with me. And so I started talking about
water safety education to the most at risk demographic, which
are little boys and little girlsunder the age of five.
(16:33):
And little boys are at the top of that demographic for being
most at risk. And so I started talking to his
preschool and his friends 1st and then I branched off into
other, you know, preschools in the area.
And that's how I began to walk forward with grief in a new way,
(16:55):
in a different way, with the intentional decision that I
didn't know how I would get there, but that my goal in my,
my desire was to not let the pain and the agony of losing my
son be the end of his story or my life.
And so that's when I decided to just intentionally find ways to
(17:18):
bring him more into my world through the work that I do and I
and honestly, I've never stopped.
It's definitely changed and evolved.
I went from talking about water safety education to eventually
writing my first book, Lessons from Neverland.
And that that was based on the, the one year where I spent every
(17:42):
day for one year writing Drew a letter.
And so dear Drew, my book, Dear Drew, Creating a Life Bigger
than Grief is really, it's chronicled from partly those
letters that I wrote to him and the other part, what I've
learned and what I did to support myself to attain that
(18:02):
goal of living a life of empowerment, fulfilment,
meaning, and actually like absolute joy.
I live a much different life nowbecause I have taken the time to
let grief be one of the most profound teachers of my life.
(18:24):
And how you've just used it well, instead of shape so many
different aspects of your life because it is, it's at times
it's so overwhelming, it swallows you whole.
And to take that and then now, you know, educate and advocate
for, you know, others and to help them and to feel seen and
(18:45):
heard, but also, you know, awareness around being proactive
and things like that. It's huge.
Well, thank you. I, it's, it's, it's truly the
most meaningful work I, I think I could ever find or do it, it,
it's brought me a lot of healing, honestly, connecting
(19:06):
with other, other parents or people that have lost a
significant beloved or loved oneor spouse or sibling.
I, I, I've talked with thousandsof people and the one, the one
question that I kept hearing washow, how did you do this?
(19:30):
Because when they would meet me,I wasn't downtrodden and
depressed and my energy levels were upbeat and I was happy,
truly happy. Because I'm, I'm fulfilling my
purpose, which is to bring Drew's beautiful life forward in
such a way that it helps preventfuture water.
You know Future Drownings helps to educate parents around the
(19:56):
lesser known and acknowledged water hazards.
And so I felt like we were together making this
contribution, but the how part, the how part was hard for me to
answer. I didn't like I, I didn't
necessarily stop and think, well, what did I do at this
particular juncture that really did help me kind of mend this
(20:19):
heart or end that cycle of questions that were really
limiting or self punishing. What did I do?
And once again, I turned to my, you know, turned back to my
writing, my journaling, and it was very clear.
I, you know, the, the different approaches that I took.
I tried so many things. I was a curious griever.
(20:40):
Like I went to drumming ceremonies.
I went to, you know, healing or you know, healing like Sajana
where they they the energy and the vortex and I drove into
everything greatly so cellular release healing.
And then I went on to study it and it become certified in these
(21:03):
different modalities along with traditional therapy and the
support of my faith community and my family.
I forged this very, you know, zigzaggy kind of path towards
what supported me. But I wrote it down.
And so I had, I had a lot of information to pull from.
(21:24):
So while I was asked by all of these people the how I didn't
have an answer in that moment, but I intentionally took the
time to go back and answer that question.
And I started with that first moment.
How did I go from that, that belief that my life was over and
that I would never find any sortof joy or happiness and I
deserved, you know, that I was just the worst mother in the
(21:45):
world to knowing that not only was IA loving mother before the
accident, I was a loving mother the day of the accident and I'm
a loving mother today. None of that has ever changed.
All that has changed is what I believe about myself.
And that was and so I just did. I started to really dive into
(22:08):
what helped me shift and and release a lot of those old
experiences and old fears aroundwhat grief had to mean and let
it teach me. And the lessons are beautiful if
you allow for them to become that.
I understand. And I am not here to say that it
(22:30):
doesn't hurt it This process hurt.
It hurt like hell. It brought me to the brink more
than once. But there was always this thread
of this idea of a future that would be joyful, that could be
light, and that I could make a positive difference even even
(22:53):
though my son wouldn't be physically here.
How could I take our love in hislife and his legacy and let it
be a tribute to him? And that's what I, that's what
really began to shape or reshapemy relationship with grief.
I never, I never understood why people would say that grief was,
(23:16):
you know, something we'd go through.
And it's like love with nowhere to go.
I actually never felt like that.I always felt like no, no, no,
no. Grief is the presence of loves
in art. It's it's it's Love's presence
in and it's begging our consciousness to reach beyond
(23:37):
the pain and to acknowledge the love always remains.
The one thing I know for sure isthat love will always outlast
life. It will remain long after we are
not here and the left that we have for our children continues.
Even though we are in the situation that no parent wants
(24:00):
to be in and we have lost them, it doesn't mean that we've lost
them entirely. We've lost the physical, you
know, human connection. But the love and the that that
infinite love that will always remain is where I found more
peace in this journey than anywhere else is just really
(24:23):
rejecting this idea that grief has to be this place where only
love disappears. No grief.
Grief was my my consciousness challenging my life story and
experiences and the narratives that I created and really
calling me forward into a different relationship, not only
with myself, but with grief and then with the world.
(24:47):
And so it just, it profoundly changed me and the work that I
wanted to do. And I wanted to start writing to
people like myself. And so I started writing blogs
and I wrote my first book and myfirst book, you know, presented
opportunities for me to start tobecome a public speaker.
(25:08):
And I travelled the world. I'm sharing my story of
overcoming adversities into finding, you know, a purpose.
Maybe not the chosen purpose, but a purpose that has truly
shaped my life in a healthy, positive and profoundly peaceful
and loving way. And you're, you're spot on.
(25:31):
I mean, just to name a couple things.
You know, when you're sharing about grief and it not being
linear, right? Like our journey with it either
is the healing process or, or because we need to feel our
feelings to continue with healing.
And when you're going through that, sometimes journaling may
work, sometimes, sometimes mindful movement may work, you
(25:52):
know, and, and it really just depends on what you find for
comfort in those in those moments.
But also we are what we think, right?
So then you having this way of using journaling to like in a
healthy way, then start to tell yourself, right, because that
shame, blame and guilt just can eat you alive.
And if you stay in that space, but to be around others who
(26:16):
understand and are your true support systems to help you see
your value when you can in thosedarkest moments.
And then also to start to re like train your brain to then
start to think differently and then turn it into something so
beautiful when you like repurpose your pain into helping
(26:38):
others, Melissa, and not allowing it to keep you down and
to keep you in a depressed state.
And now you celebrate Drew's life.
You honor him out loud by helping others is just.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
I'm, I'm very grateful for the life that I've had.
(27:01):
And I say that and I understand what I'm saying.
I am grateful for it all. I, I love the woman that I have
become because of my experienceswith grades.
I am so clear on what is important.
I understand the value of being truly present with the people
(27:24):
that I love. And I also know that I don't
wait. I don't wait to say it.
If I, if I, if I love you, you're going to hear it 1000
times, you know, and I'm going to, I'm going to hug you.
I'm going to want to gather and be with you because I have come
to realize that the most valuable things that I have are
(27:46):
in the memories of the moments that I shared, not just with
Drew, but with every person thathas meaning in my life.
And so I made I, I don't know where I heard the phrase, but it
really resonated with me. I wanted to become a moments
millionaire. I wanted a million moments with
(28:08):
the people that I love, with theplaces that renew my soul, that
bring me peace. I wanted a million of those
moments to hold onto. And then I also recognized that
what I was doing was giving those people also the same gift
that I was receiving, which was I have all of these beautiful
(28:29):
memories of my son. I actually want those memories
with every single person that I know.
And when my life ends and when Itransition, I want my legacy to
be that. She lived with purpose, she
lived with love, and she loved big.
That's what I want. Purposefully living.
(28:52):
Oh my goodness, we had a whole episode on it months ago.
But it's so true with this shapes you into then like your
time, your time is so you realize it's so valuable.
So who you spend it with, what you spend doing with it.
That's the only thing. Like when, you know, we hear
about people who are about to pass away and they're on their,
(29:13):
you know, last moments and they say, you know, I wish I had more
time. They never say, you know, I wish
I worked more. I wish I had more money.
It comes down to those moments and getting as many as you can
in and it's so true. Now living with that purpose and
you're intentionally living. Absolutely.
(29:34):
And you know, I feel I feel inspired to say something right
now. I'm sure that a lot of your
listeners are probably at the beginning phases of their
journey with grief. And one of the most helpful
things that was ever said to me was that grief can be the
reflection of love. It's, it's not, it's, it's the
(29:57):
shadow side of Love's brillianceor the mirror reflection of the
beauty and the uniqueness of theperson that we lost.
And so if we can, if we can finda way to look at it in that
context, for me, it was it was validation of just how special
(30:20):
my connection with my son was and just how beautiful his life
was and how beautiful he was. And it stopped being this thing
that I felt like I had to get away from.
And I actually started to let itbe something that I could sit
with because it stopped being this this message of punishment.
And it started to be the testament, the testament of what
(30:43):
was what would always remain, which is the love that we shared
between us. And I think it's really
important to give people that message, especially early on,
because there are a lot of, there are a lot of things that
society tells us there's a lot of, you know, there's a lot of
well meaning platitudes and, andphrases that we hear a lot,
(31:05):
right? Yes.
I always found that the most helpful were about the
acknowledgement, not shying awayfrom the reality of what I was
dealing with, but also the acknowledgement that pain wasn't
the only story that was being told here.
That if I could, I was experiencing pain and my
emotions were definitely, you know, harder to, to, you know,
(31:29):
to, to move forward at times because it, it does hurt our
hearts break it in that weight that we feel.
I was feeling all of those things, but when I could tap
into that truth, that Love's brilliance, if there is a
shadow, it is in that when we lose someone that we treasure,
(31:53):
that is that that there's a painful separation.
But it doesn't mean that love isabsent.
It means that love is evident, that love is present.
And that was where I truly foundI started to grow, not only in
my capacity to hold space for mypain, but to hold space for the
(32:13):
idea that maybe there was a new way for me to to operate inside
of this experience and to stop seeing it just as the worst day
that ever happened to me. But to start to see it as the
day I was being asked to become this person that you see before
you today. It was an invitation.
(32:34):
It was an invitation to expand beyond the circumstances and to
allow my son's love and my love for my son to become a driving
force in my desire to move forward.
Not move on, but move forward and to bring him with me.
That is how I began to do it. Oh, Melissa, thank you for
(32:55):
sharing that. Oh, I, oh, just sharing all of
it really tugs on the heartstrings.
And to see you here today and how you share about it, just for
a lack of a better word, beautifully, I mean.
Thank you. Yes, thank you.
Is there anything that you want to leave our listeners with any
(33:16):
words of wisdom, you know, hearing, you know, and also
where your book can be found? Of course you know the links up
and everything in our podcast description.
Sure. I want every person that's
listening to this podcast to know that I speak from a place
of truth. I am speaking from my own
(33:36):
testimony of what grief has become in my life.
It is my hope, my hope that my book can can serve you in some
way because it is possible. Is is as much as you may not
believe that in this moment, I want to challenge you and I want
to be an example that you can. You can make the choice to honor
(34:00):
your loved one by living a vibrant life and it is not a
betrayal. It is the most loving and
beautiful tribute to the person that you want to honor by living
fully, living freely, and celebrating all of the love and
the joy that you got to experience because of their
(34:23):
existence. And hold on to that love even
when it feels like it's outside of your reach.
To close your eyes, put your hand on your heart and say to
yourself, I have not lost you. I need to find you in search for
you differently. Help me to find your presence in
this moment. And then just be.
(34:43):
And I promise you, it is a miraculous thing that happens.
Your heart opens up, your mind quiets, and you can just feel
them come into the room with you.
And that love is so present, that is my greatest hope, is
that people understand that grief is an invitation to expand
beyond what we have come to think of grief as being.
(35:06):
It is a beckoning, A beckoning for our consciousness to
acknowledge that love is ever present.
We just have to seek it differently.
Melissa, just thank you for sharing your heart and your
story with us today. You're very welcome.
I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to be with your
community, so thank you very much.
(35:28):
Yes, and just sharing so openly and honestly, that's what we're
about here and you know, going through the pain, but also, you
know, still having your love in different ways now and how
profound it is just really comesacross and I can't thank you
enough for that. Well, I appreciate the
opportunity to be here and the work that I do.
(35:51):
I, I have resources on water safety education and I write a
weekly blog to support grievers.My website is my, my name,
melissahall.com and there are tons of resources there.
I have communities where we, we support each other and I come
and I talk and, and I share moreof my journey.
So if anyone listening would like to find more support, they
(36:14):
can certainly find me on social media or going straight to my
website. And you can also find the links
to my book Dear Drew, Creating aLife Bigger Than Grief there as
well. Oh, that's great.
Thank you, Melissa. Your journey, yes.
And your journey does remind us.While grief never truly leaves
us, it can also be a source of strength, transformation and
(36:35):
compassion. So thank you.
You're. Very welcome.
For our listeners, if you are grieving or searching for ways
to get involved, we want to knowwho you are and that you're not
alone. At Cheese and the Rainbows, our
mission is to ensure that every baby loss matters.
So if you need support or if you'd like to join us in raising
awareness and honoring families,please visit
babylossawareness.org. And until next time, we are
(36:57):
always with you. We see you, we are you, and
we'll talk to you soon.
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