Healing Isn’t Linear
(...and that's okay)
Hello Readers and Friends!
If you are new to my newsletter, I am very excited to have you join me on my journey as I finalize WALLFLOWER (formerly SHOWING UP FOR ME: A MEMOIR).
If you are a returning reader, thank you for your continued support! I deeply appreciate the time you are taking out of your busy day to accompany me.
April has always been a heavy month for me.
It’s the month that changed everything—the month I lost my sister in a way that still feels impossible to fully put into words. There’s a kind of silence that follows loss like that. A kind of before-and-after that no one prepares you for.
For a long time, I thought healing would look like moving forward in a straight line — that with enough time, effort, or strength, I would somehow “arrive” at a place where it didn’t hurt so much. But that’s not how it works. Not for me, and not for most people who carry something this deep.
Healing isn’t linear.
It loops, and it stalls. It surprises you. Some days feel light and manageable, and others—like certain days in April—feel just as raw as the beginning. And that doesn’t mean I’ve failed. It doesn’t mean I’m going backward.
It just means I’m human.
Where I am now is different than where I was. Not because the loss is smaller — it isn’t—but because I’ve learned how to carry it differently. I’ve made space for the grief instead of fighting it. I’ve learned that joy and sorrow can coexist without guilt. That I can laugh and still miss her in the same breath.
There are still hard moments. There are still days when the weight of it all feels overwhelming. But there are also moments of peace now. Moments of remembering her with love instead of only pain. Moments where I feel grounded, even in the middle of April.
If you’re in a season that feels heavy—whether it’s grief, loss, or something you’re still trying to name—I hope you know this:
You are not behind.
You are not doing it wrong.
And you are allowed to be exactly where you are.
Healing doesn’t follow a schedule or ask you to rush. It just asks you to keep going, in whatever way you can. And I know my sister would have wanted me to do just that.
This is where I am now.
Still grieving.
Still healing.
Still here.
And for today, that’s enough.
I’m so excited to share with you that last week I was asked to speak to a group of women who are victims of domestic abuse. The foundation is a transformational program that helps these women on their path to self-sufficiency. I am super excited about this opportunity because this is what my book, WALLFLOWER, is about. It is the story of my childhood trauma and how I’ve worked hard to create a more peaceful life for myself. I feel privileged to have been invited to share my experience, in the hope that my story will inspire these women. And I am truly thankful for where I am now, and I can’t wait to share my book with you.
🤘🏼
Linda Vee
“The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it.” —Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
