January 5, 2026 • 14 mins
#142. Well, it's finally here. Another new year.
How are you feeling as we head into 2026?
This is The Silent Why, a podcast on a mission to open up conversations around grief, to see if hope can be found in 101 different types of loss, and we're Chris & Claire Sandys, your childless hosts.
New Year's aren't easy for many people, so wherever you find yourself emotionally, this short episode is here to offer you a bit of hope and encouragement for the days ahead, and remind you that you're not alone if your year hasn’t started as you hoped.
Plus, I share about a recent loss we've been going through, and explain why there might be a bit of a delay before the next episode is released.
And here are the links to read, or listen to, the blogs I mention:
Know Hope:
https://thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.com/1799189/episodes/14113284-blog-my-why-know-hope
We've all got triggers, but did you know you have glimmers too?:
https://thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.com/1799189/episodes/12776245-blog-my-why-we-ve-all-got-triggers-but-did-you-know-you-have-glimmers-too
-----
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What's a Herman? / Buy a Herman - thehermancompany.com
Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/thesilentwhy
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How to talk to the grieving: thesilentwhy.com/post/howtotalktothegrieving
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Episode transcripts: thesilentwhy.buzzsprout.com
Thank you for listening.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Claire (00:02):
Hello friends, and welcome back to The Silent Why
Podcast in 2026.
That sounds like such afuturistic year.
And I guess that comment willmake me sound proper old, but
it's a good job that I suspectthe average listener on this
podcast is going to agree withme.
If you're new to joining usthis year, then welcome.
If you've been here before,then welcome back.
(00:22):
I'm Claire, your friendlypodcast host, and sometimes I'm
joined by my husband Chris, butnot today.
We're a childless couple afterinfertility, and that's where
our passion for different kindsof loss came from, and that's
how this podcast was born.
We're a podcast that exploresloss but all kinds of it, and
we're looking to see if hope canexist in every kind of grief.
But we're also a resource tohelp people get through grief,
(00:45):
whether that's after the griefoccurs, or to equip ourselves
before it happens.
And we're on a mission to find101 different types of loss, and
so far we've reached 66.
Since we started in September2021, we've put out 233
episodes, we've reached 26different countries across all
continents.
Well, except Antarctica, no oneever gives us any stats for
(01:07):
there, and we've spoken tonearly a hundred people about
loss on the podcast.
93 to be precise.
And here we are once again,hovering just inside the edge of
another new year.
And so far, I have to say it'sbeen a lovely wintery start to
the year weather wise inGloucestershire, England.
It's been sunny but also verycold, perfect for getting out
(01:28):
those knitted hats and scarvesand wrapping up nice and warm.
Or if you're like us sitting bythe fire, which in our case is
the video of a fire that you canrun on your TV on Netflix.
Not quite the same, but you doget that nice little fire
crackling sound.
So here I am, back in mypodcast room, with the heater
on, the mic in front of me, andI'm recording you an episode on
(01:49):
my own, and it feels likeforever since I've done that.
So please excuse me if I sounda bit rusty.
I don't know how you're feelingas you enter 2026.
Maybe it's exciting for you.
Maybe you're scared.
Maybe you're sad, or maybe youjust couldn't give two hoots.
Whatever your mood, a strongtheme of this podcast is to
remind you that you're not alonein how you're feeling.
(02:11):
That probably matters less ifyou're excited and pumped for
2026, but it's a key thing toremember if you're on the more
blue end of the emotional scale.
Many people struggle when theyenter a new year, for all kinds
of reasons, and I'm here toremind you that that's okay.
And at the end of this episode,I'm going to share some
important things that I want youto know to help you face what's
(02:33):
ahead.
Although actually it's what ourguests want you to know,
because it's from our guests, sostay tuned for those.
Anywho, did you celebrate thenew year coming in?
We did not.
Our new year was very quiet.
We went to bed before midnight,first time I can ever remember
doing that, and then we werewoken at midnight by fireworks
going off, which I quite likereally.
(02:54):
Then we said Happy New Year toeach other and we went back to
sleep.
Not hugely exciting.
Sadly, the mood didn't get alot better that weekend because
a few days later, on Saturdaythe 3rd of January, I had a
phone call with some sad newsfrom my mum, who lives on the
other side of England, to saythat my adopted auntie Olwyn had
died.
I couldn't say it was a shockbecause I had been wondering if
(03:14):
this call would come every dayfor the last two years.
It was a very long goodbye tosomeone who lived to a hundred
and six years old.
In fact, she made it into herhundred and seventh year.
I think that's why 2026 soundsso futuristic to me, because she
was born in nineteen nineteen,and they're the two dates that
are going to sit next to eachother on her funeral order of
(03:36):
service.
And because Chris and I can'thelp but ponder on these
different aspects of life andloss, it's once again raised
questions for us, assumptionsaround grief.
Why do we assume the griefisn't as deep when someone dies
when they're old?
Even though they've been inyour life so much longer than
someone who's younger.
It also made me think about whywe assume someone lived a good
(03:58):
life if they were old.
I've had people say, that's agood life.
Is it?
Do we know it's a good life?
You can live a long time and itbe a bad life.
And how it's strange whensomeone dies, and there's no
form of goodbye.
Which Chris and I haveexperienced with pretty much all
our family members so far.
So of course we're going to beexploring things like this, and
I will do an episode at somepoint.
(04:19):
In fact, I've always said I'lldo an episode on the loss of
Auntie Owen, or the loss of ahundred and six year old,
because I have some very specialaudio that I really want to
share with you, and I wanted towait until after she died.
A few years ago, way before wewere podcasters, Chris and I
recorded Auntie telling us abouther experiences during World
War II.
Auntie was in her earlytwenties during the war and
(04:41):
lived and worked in the city ofPortsmouth on the south coast of
England, which saw a lot ofbombing due to it being a naval
base.
These are very unique storiesthat I can't wait to share with
you, and that I've also sent tothe Imperial War Museum a few
years ago for their archives.
As a small side note, betweenmy mum and Chris, they actually
got me some flowers today tocheer me up after losing Auntie,
and because I had to take downChristmas, I do love having
(05:03):
Christmas stuff around thehouse.
And they managed to find asmall bunch of daffodils, which
always reminds me of Auntiebecause she was Welsh and that's
the beloved symbol of Wales.
But that's the earliest I'veever had any, the 5th of
January, so that was a lovelylittle glimmer in my day.
And if you're not familiar withglimmers, kind of the opposite
of triggers, then check out myblog that I did on those,
because they're special littlethings in our lives.
(05:24):
So what's coming up on thepodcast this year?
Well, I would love to tell you,but the truth is I don't know
yet.
There's a very good reason forthis, and that's why I wanted to
put out this short episode tokeep you all in the loop.
I don't like just relying onsocial media posts to update you
on things because I know noteveryone is on social media.
So what I do know is that thisyear we'll have more lost
(05:44):
guests.
I'm a complete finisher, thereis no way I am not reaching 101
on this lost list.
There'll be blogs with variousthoughts I've been having on
things, there'll be let's chatinterviews with people who
specialise in areas of griefthat can help us, and I'm hoping
there'll be new types ofepisodes that might come along
too.
However, there are a fewreasons why there'll be a little
bit of a delay before my nextepisode, so I'm asking for a
(06:04):
little bit of patience from youwhile I get myself together.
These reasons are, firstly, Iusually have a few interviews in
the bag ready to go ahead oftime, so I'm always slightly
ahead on my editing schedulewith interviews to put out.
But because Chris and I spenteight weeks abroad at the end of
last year, I'm starting fromscratch again this year.
Plus, that time away didn'tgive us all the space we thought
we'd need to ponder on life andthe year ahead and the podcast,
(06:27):
so I'm trying to find time tostill do that as well.
Secondly, regular listenerswill also know that I'm on a
real journey with some healthissues, all related to those
very fun little creatures wecall hormones.
Well, I'm getting another newimplant to sort those out again
this week, so I'm just waitingfor that to kick in and give me
the motivation and clear headthat I need to get back into
everything I need to do.
(06:47):
Thirdly, with Auntie dying, Ijust need a little bit of space
to process that, help with thefuneral where I can, write a
eulogy and sort that kind ofstuff out over the next three to
four weeks.
And fourthly, we've been reallythinking about loss a lot over
the festive season and new year,and I'm letting this shape my
thoughts about the podcast andany new areas we can tap into
and how it can provide whatpeople need.
(07:09):
An example of this was onBoxing Day.
The local news reported on ahouse fire not too far from
here.
The fire claimed the life of ayoung wife and mother, two young
children and the family dog,leaving their husband and
father, who was also apoliceman, alone, after he tried
to rescue them but couldn'tre-enter the house.
As more information wasreleased, Chris and I couldn't
(07:30):
help but think about the extentand the reach of such a loss,
and the seemingly endless listof losses that came with such a
tragic accident.
Especially for Tom, the husbandthat survived.
Not just the loss of a wife,two children and a pet, each one
of those a huge loss in itself,but also the loss of a home, a
place of safety to grieve in,photos, identity, toys, anything
(07:52):
that feels familiar and safe.
Even your own bed, or littlethings like toiletries, tiny
things that aren't accessible inyour grief, the items that you
can't hold to cry over to helpyou grieve, the phone calls that
need to be made, the amount ofpeople that are involved, the
extent of the loss to family,relatives, friends, school
friends, teachers, emergencyworkers, colleagues, neighbours,
(08:14):
reporters, funeral directors.
Then you have things likesurvivor guilt to contend with.
The list feels so extreme,something no human should really
ever have to endure in one go.
But it was also interesting tosee the response to such a
situation.
The people that instantlywanted to help and started
raising money for Tom.
£426,000 has been raised so faras I record this.
(08:35):
Those that will get lost insuch a grief even if it isn't
theirs.
Those that feel an instant newsense of gratitude for their
family and home.
Those that want to hide fromsuch a situation because they
don't want to think about whatit would be like to go through
it.
Grief is such a far-reaching,complex topic that I want to
make sure the podcast neverloses sight of the impact that
it can have on people.
Especially because we're all sodifferent, and therefore our
(08:57):
grief and our reaction to it arealso so different.
But I'm also aware, especiallyin a situation like this, of all
the people that won't know whatto say to the surviving family,
the awkward silences, thecrossing the road to try and
avoid trying to find what tosay, the friends that seem to
vanish or become muted by thesituation.
People on the whole still don'tknow how to deal with grief,
(09:18):
and we need to get better atthat, and I believe that comes
from listening to those who havebeen through it and being
willing to learn about how wecan do it better.
So all these situations andthoughts fuel what I want the
podcast to be about and what itneeds to offer to help people do
this.
So my brain is a little allover the place at the moment, so
please be patient and know thatI'm working on things.
I will get back into thepodcast momentum as soon as I
(09:41):
can.
But if there's a little breakfrom them coming out every other
Tuesday, that's why.
If you haven't caught up withthe latest episodes, then you
can catch up on those while youwait.
We put out two episodes whilewe were in Singapore and
Australia about our travels andwhat we thought of that side of
the world, and we also put outour usual chatty Christmas
catch-up where Chris and I sharehow we're feeling about
Christmas, life, beingchildless, and what it was like
(10:03):
to be back in the cold UK afterso long in the sun.
So whatever you look like,however you're feeling, I want
to wish you a lot of hope forthis new year.
Whether it's chocked fullalready, whether it's a
completely blank canvas, whetherit's a year of uncertainty, or
whether it's a year where youknow there's a loss that's going
to occur.
Just know that you're notalone, and we're here to help
(10:23):
you find the tools to getthrough it.
Before I share my list ofencouragements, if you want to
find out more about us and ourstory with childlessness, you
can visit www.thesilentwhy.comor listen to episode three of
the podcast.
You can also follow us onsocial media @ thesilentwhypod,
and the latest post on Instagramwill show you a lovely bunch of
photos of my auntie Olwyn, plusmy own little eulogy to her,
(10:44):
and thank you to the person whocommented saying they googled my
auntie because they found allthe articles about her going up
in a glider for her hundredthbirthday.
And she did it again, I think,on her 103rd birthday.
I'd forgotten about thoseimages and articles, so thank
you.
And if you Google OlwynHopkins, O-L-W-Y-N, you'll find
those as well.
And lastly but not leastly,don't forget that if you know
someone who's grieving and youwant to send them something
(11:05):
unique, I crochet griefcompanions called Herman's
exactly for that purpose.
And for the whole of January,there's £10 off any Herman's
purchase.
Just visitwww.thehermancompany.com.
And if you live in a countrythat won't let me easily ship
them to you as a business, thenget in touch with me and I'll
see what I can work out.
Wishing you all a 2026 that isfull of unexpected blessings
along the way, dollops of hope,much joy, and oodles of peace.
(11:28):
So here's my ten plus one nos,K N O W S, that I want to share
with you.
They originally came from theblog My Why, No Hope, you can
get the link in the show notes.
I gathered them from the firstbatch of Hermans we got on the
podcast, and the fact thatthere's ten plus one has nothing
to do with me not being able tosqueeze them into ten.
If you don't know what a Hermanis, check out the link in the
(11:49):
show notes, but as well as beingcrocheted grief buddies, they
actually started as a questionwe ask all our lost guests.
What's your Herman?
What is something you've learntabout, nurtured or cultivated
in your grief that you want toshare with others?
Something that's really blessedyou, something you think will
help others in their grief aswell.
So listen to these and seewhich one stands out most for
you this year as you enter 2026.
(12:11):
I hope something here that oneof our guests has shared will
bring you real comfort or remindyou of a truth that you really
need to hear as you enter 2026.
1.
Know you are going to die oneday, and use that to start
really living.
2.
(12:31):
Know you're allowed to feelwhat you're feeling and give it
the space it needs.
3. Know it's not the end of theworld.
There are people worse off thanyou.
4.
Know life will beat you up, butit can't take away your faith,
hopes, or dreams.
(12:52):
5.
No there's a cycle to growth,and it's entirely possible to
come through stronger.
6.
Know there's a god or a higherpower that helps you make sense
of the world and what you gothrough.
7.
Know there's a lot to bethankful for and have
appreciation for.
(13:13):
Simple things like opening youreyes in the morning.
Take every opportunity now.
8.
Know you can change thenarrative and your story.
It doesn't have to be what youinherit.
9.
Know that everything istemporary, even your pain.
Time will help you processthings, even if it doesn't heal
(13:37):
everything in the way you want.
10.
Know that those we've loved andlost come with us on the rest
of the journey.
10 plus 1.
Know you're not alone, and thisis not the end.
Hello friends, and welcome back to The Silent Why
Podcast in 2026.
That sounds like such afuturistic year.
And I guess that comment willmake me sound proper old, but
it's a good job that I suspectthe average listener on this
podcast is going to agree withme.
If you're new to joining usthis year, then welcome.
If you've been here before,then welcome back.
(00:22):
I'm Claire, your friendlypodcast host, and sometimes I'm
joined by my husband Chris, butnot today.
We're a childless couple afterinfertility, and that's where
our passion for different kindsof loss came from, and that's
how this podcast was born.
We're a podcast that exploresloss but all kinds of it, and
we're looking to see if hope canexist in every kind of grief.
But we're also a resource tohelp people get through grief,
(00:45):
whether that's after the griefoccurs, or to equip ourselves
before it happens.
And we're on a mission to find101 different types of loss, and
so far we've reached 66.
Since we started in September2021, we've put out 233
episodes, we've reached 26different countries across all
continents.
Well, except Antarctica, no oneever gives us any stats for
(01:07):
there, and we've spoken tonearly a hundred people about
loss on the podcast.
93 to be precise.
And here we are once again,hovering just inside the edge of
another new year.
And so far, I have to say it'sbeen a lovely wintery start to
the year weather wise inGloucestershire, England.
It's been sunny but also verycold, perfect for getting out
(01:28):
those knitted hats and scarvesand wrapping up nice and warm.
Or if you're like us sitting bythe fire, which in our case is
the video of a fire that you canrun on your TV on Netflix.
Not quite the same, but you doget that nice little fire
crackling sound.
So here I am, back in mypodcast room, with the heater
on, the mic in front of me, andI'm recording you an episode on
(01:49):
my own, and it feels likeforever since I've done that.
So please excuse me if I sounda bit rusty.
I don't know how you're feelingas you enter 2026.
Maybe it's exciting for you.
Maybe you're scared.
Maybe you're sad, or maybe youjust couldn't give two hoots.
Whatever your mood, a strongtheme of this podcast is to
remind you that you're not alonein how you're feeling.
(02:11):
That probably matters less ifyou're excited and pumped for
2026, but it's a key thing toremember if you're on the more
blue end of the emotional scale.
Many people struggle when theyenter a new year, for all kinds
of reasons, and I'm here toremind you that that's okay.
And at the end of this episode,I'm going to share some
important things that I want youto know to help you face what's
(02:33):
ahead.
Although actually it's what ourguests want you to know,
because it's from our guests, sostay tuned for those.
Anywho, did you celebrate thenew year coming in?
We did not.
Our new year was very quiet.
We went to bed before midnight,first time I can ever remember
doing that, and then we werewoken at midnight by fireworks
going off, which I quite likereally.
(02:54):
Then we said Happy New Year toeach other and we went back to
sleep.
Not hugely exciting.
Sadly, the mood didn't get alot better that weekend because
a few days later, on Saturdaythe 3rd of January, I had a
phone call with some sad newsfrom my mum, who lives on the
other side of England, to saythat my adopted auntie Olwyn had
died.
I couldn't say it was a shockbecause I had been wondering if
(03:14):
this call would come every dayfor the last two years.
It was a very long goodbye tosomeone who lived to a hundred
and six years old.
In fact, she made it into herhundred and seventh year.
I think that's why 2026 soundsso futuristic to me, because she
was born in nineteen nineteen,and they're the two dates that
are going to sit next to eachother on her funeral order of
(03:36):
service.
And because Chris and I can'thelp but ponder on these
different aspects of life andloss, it's once again raised
questions for us, assumptionsaround grief.
Why do we assume the griefisn't as deep when someone dies
when they're old?
Even though they've been inyour life so much longer than
someone who's younger.
It also made me think about whywe assume someone lived a good
(03:58):
life if they were old.
I've had people say, that's agood life.
Is it?
Do we know it's a good life?
You can live a long time and itbe a bad life.
And how it's strange whensomeone dies, and there's no
form of goodbye.
Which Chris and I haveexperienced with pretty much all
our family members so far.
So of course we're going to beexploring things like this, and
I will do an episode at somepoint.
(04:19):
In fact, I've always said I'lldo an episode on the loss of
Auntie Owen, or the loss of ahundred and six year old,
because I have some very specialaudio that I really want to
share with you, and I wanted towait until after she died.
A few years ago, way before wewere podcasters, Chris and I
recorded Auntie telling us abouther experiences during World
War II.
Auntie was in her earlytwenties during the war and
(04:41):
lived and worked in the city ofPortsmouth on the south coast of
England, which saw a lot ofbombing due to it being a naval
base.
These are very unique storiesthat I can't wait to share with
you, and that I've also sent tothe Imperial War Museum a few
years ago for their archives.
As a small side note, betweenmy mum and Chris, they actually
got me some flowers today tocheer me up after losing Auntie,
and because I had to take downChristmas, I do love having
(05:03):
Christmas stuff around thehouse.
And they managed to find asmall bunch of daffodils, which
always reminds me of Auntiebecause she was Welsh and that's
the beloved symbol of Wales.
But that's the earliest I'veever had any, the 5th of
January, so that was a lovelylittle glimmer in my day.
And if you're not familiar withglimmers, kind of the opposite
of triggers, then check out myblog that I did on those,
because they're special littlethings in our lives.
(05:24):
So what's coming up on thepodcast this year?
Well, I would love to tell you,but the truth is I don't know
yet.
There's a very good reason forthis, and that's why I wanted to
put out this short episode tokeep you all in the loop.
I don't like just relying onsocial media posts to update you
on things because I know noteveryone is on social media.
So what I do know is that thisyear we'll have more lost
(05:44):
guests.
I'm a complete finisher, thereis no way I am not reaching 101
on this lost list.
There'll be blogs with variousthoughts I've been having on
things, there'll be let's chatinterviews with people who
specialise in areas of griefthat can help us, and I'm hoping
there'll be new types ofepisodes that might come along
too.
However, there are a fewreasons why there'll be a little
bit of a delay before my nextepisode, so I'm asking for a
(06:04):
little bit of patience from youwhile I get myself together.
These reasons are, firstly, Iusually have a few interviews in
the bag ready to go ahead oftime, so I'm always slightly
ahead on my editing schedulewith interviews to put out.
But because Chris and I spenteight weeks abroad at the end of
last year, I'm starting fromscratch again this year.
Plus, that time away didn'tgive us all the space we thought
we'd need to ponder on life andthe year ahead and the podcast,
(06:27):
so I'm trying to find time tostill do that as well.
Secondly, regular listenerswill also know that I'm on a
real journey with some healthissues, all related to those
very fun little creatures wecall hormones.
Well, I'm getting another newimplant to sort those out again
this week, so I'm just waitingfor that to kick in and give me
the motivation and clear headthat I need to get back into
everything I need to do.
(06:47):
Thirdly, with Auntie dying, Ijust need a little bit of space
to process that, help with thefuneral where I can, write a
eulogy and sort that kind ofstuff out over the next three to
four weeks.
And fourthly, we've been reallythinking about loss a lot over
the festive season and new year,and I'm letting this shape my
thoughts about the podcast andany new areas we can tap into
and how it can provide whatpeople need.
(07:09):
An example of this was onBoxing Day.
The local news reported on ahouse fire not too far from
here.
The fire claimed the life of ayoung wife and mother, two young
children and the family dog,leaving their husband and
father, who was also apoliceman, alone, after he tried
to rescue them but couldn'tre-enter the house.
As more information wasreleased, Chris and I couldn't
(07:30):
help but think about the extentand the reach of such a loss,
and the seemingly endless listof losses that came with such a
tragic accident.
Especially for Tom, the husbandthat survived.
Not just the loss of a wife,two children and a pet, each one
of those a huge loss in itself,but also the loss of a home, a
place of safety to grieve in,photos, identity, toys, anything
(07:52):
that feels familiar and safe.
Even your own bed, or littlethings like toiletries, tiny
things that aren't accessible inyour grief, the items that you
can't hold to cry over to helpyou grieve, the phone calls that
need to be made, the amount ofpeople that are involved, the
extent of the loss to family,relatives, friends, school
friends, teachers, emergencyworkers, colleagues, neighbours,
(08:14):
reporters, funeral directors.
Then you have things likesurvivor guilt to contend with.
The list feels so extreme,something no human should really
ever have to endure in one go.
But it was also interesting tosee the response to such a
situation.
The people that instantlywanted to help and started
raising money for Tom.
£426,000 has been raised so faras I record this.
(08:35):
Those that will get lost insuch a grief even if it isn't
theirs.
Those that feel an instant newsense of gratitude for their
family and home.
Those that want to hide fromsuch a situation because they
don't want to think about whatit would be like to go through
it.
Grief is such a far-reaching,complex topic that I want to
make sure the podcast neverloses sight of the impact that
it can have on people.
Especially because we're all sodifferent, and therefore our
(08:57):
grief and our reaction to it arealso so different.
But I'm also aware, especiallyin a situation like this, of all
the people that won't know whatto say to the surviving family,
the awkward silences, thecrossing the road to try and
avoid trying to find what tosay, the friends that seem to
vanish or become muted by thesituation.
People on the whole still don'tknow how to deal with grief,
(09:18):
and we need to get better atthat, and I believe that comes
from listening to those who havebeen through it and being
willing to learn about how wecan do it better.
So all these situations andthoughts fuel what I want the
podcast to be about and what itneeds to offer to help people do
this.
So my brain is a little allover the place at the moment, so
please be patient and know thatI'm working on things.
I will get back into thepodcast momentum as soon as I
(09:41):
can.
But if there's a little breakfrom them coming out every other
Tuesday, that's why.
If you haven't caught up withthe latest episodes, then you
can catch up on those while youwait.
We put out two episodes whilewe were in Singapore and
Australia about our travels andwhat we thought of that side of
the world, and we also put outour usual chatty Christmas
catch-up where Chris and I sharehow we're feeling about
Christmas, life, beingchildless, and what it was like
(10:03):
to be back in the cold UK afterso long in the sun.
So whatever you look like,however you're feeling, I want
to wish you a lot of hope forthis new year.
Whether it's chocked fullalready, whether it's a
completely blank canvas, whetherit's a year of uncertainty, or
whether it's a year where youknow there's a loss that's going
to occur.
Just know that you're notalone, and we're here to help
(10:23):
you find the tools to getthrough it.
Before I share my list ofencouragements, if you want to
find out more about us and ourstory with childlessness, you
can visit www.thesilentwhy.comor listen to episode three of
the podcast.
You can also follow us onsocial media @ thesilentwhypod,
and the latest post on Instagramwill show you a lovely bunch of
photos of my auntie Olwyn, plusmy own little eulogy to her,
(10:44):
and thank you to the person whocommented saying they googled my
auntie because they found allthe articles about her going up
in a glider for her hundredthbirthday.
And she did it again, I think,on her 103rd birthday.
I'd forgotten about thoseimages and articles, so thank
you.
And if you Google OlwynHopkins, O-L-W-Y-N, you'll find
those as well.
And lastly but not leastly,don't forget that if you know
someone who's grieving and youwant to send them something
(11:05):
unique, I crochet griefcompanions called Herman's
exactly for that purpose.
And for the whole of January,there's £10 off any Herman's
purchase.
Just visitwww.thehermancompany.com.
And if you live in a countrythat won't let me easily ship
them to you as a business, thenget in touch with me and I'll
see what I can work out.
Wishing you all a 2026 that isfull of unexpected blessings
along the way, dollops of hope,much joy, and oodles of peace.
(11:28):
So here's my ten plus one nos,K N O W S, that I want to share
with you.
They originally came from theblog My Why, No Hope, you can
get the link in the show notes.
I gathered them from the firstbatch of Hermans we got on the
podcast, and the fact thatthere's ten plus one has nothing
to do with me not being able tosqueeze them into ten.
If you don't know what a Hermanis, check out the link in the
(11:49):
show notes, but as well as beingcrocheted grief buddies, they
actually started as a questionwe ask all our lost guests.
What's your Herman?
What is something you've learntabout, nurtured or cultivated
in your grief that you want toshare with others?
Something that's really blessedyou, something you think will
help others in their grief aswell.
So listen to these and seewhich one stands out most for
you this year as you enter 2026.
(12:11):
I hope something here that oneof our guests has shared will
bring you real comfort or remindyou of a truth that you really
need to hear as you enter 2026.
1.
Know you are going to die oneday, and use that to start
really living.
2.
(12:31):
Know you're allowed to feelwhat you're feeling and give it
the space it needs.
3. Know it's not the end of theworld.
There are people worse off thanyou.
4.
Know life will beat you up, butit can't take away your faith,
hopes, or dreams.
(12:52):
5.
No there's a cycle to growth,and it's entirely possible to
come through stronger.
6.
Know there's a god or a higherpower that helps you make sense
of the world and what you gothrough.
7.
Know there's a lot to bethankful for and have
appreciation for.
(13:13):
Simple things like opening youreyes in the morning.
Take every opportunity now.
8.
Know you can change thenarrative and your story.
It doesn't have to be what youinherit.
9.
Know that everything istemporary, even your pain.
Time will help you processthings, even if it doesn't heal
(13:37):
everything in the way you want.
10.
Know that those we've loved andlost come with us on the rest
of the journey.
10 plus 1.
Know you're not alone, and thisis not the end.
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