When Lew was dying, I was dying, too.

The version of me that had laughed with him, grown with him, loved with him…. she started to fade the moment he began to slip away.

After he died, I remember catching my reflection in the mirror. What I saw was a shell…. tired, puffy eyes, no spark .My glow had gone with him.

As the year unfolded, I would often pause and stare into the mirror, silently asking, Who is she?

She looked ragged. She looked lost. And I missed the woman I used to be … the one full of joy and laughter, of color and spark.

So, I did what many of us do: I bought everything that promised to bring back “the glow.
Creams. Serums. Products that whispered hope.

But it wasn’t about vanity…. it was something deeper.

I was searching for me.

And still… nothing worked.
Because what I really needed couldn’t be bought.

It wasn’t until I looked beyond the tired eyes and saw a woman who had survived…That I realized something:
I had not been kind to her.
I had judged her.
I had feared her pain.
I had denied that she was beautiful because of her sorrow
She, I, was still here.

I can’t say I’m healed. I won’t pretend I’m some radiant goddess in the mirror.

But I have softened.
I have let grief wash over me instead of resisting it.
And in that surrender, I found the beginnings of Me.

I stopped searching for the “old Gina.”

I started embracing the This Gina, not the new and improved Gina.. but the one who was still standing… I was now seeing that I was…

Broken, but tender.
Grieving, but hopeful.
Scared, but quietly heroic.

It’s not the lotions or potions that bring back the glow.
It’s the mindset.
It’s the kindness.
It’s the willingness to say:
This is who I am now, and she is worthy enough to love who she is in this grief story…

Here’s something to ponder:

What if your glow isn’t gone… it’s just learning to shine through the cracks?

Love to you my friends, YOU are beautiful

Below is the zoom link for you to join our sessions… Don’t be afraid to show up and dip your toe into community. I can’t wait to see you and meet you!