Grieving & Eating

I've had a lot of family stuff going on this past month. Gram's passing, my son heading off to kindergarten soon, recently some health news about my Mom and a visit from a very sick Aunt who I was lucky enough to spend some time with. I've also had two close relatives and a very good friend lose special life pets. So, there's been a lot of emotion heading my way. 

That said, I've learned that grief doesn't have to be pushed back into a corner. It can be experienced and honored. I've allowed myself to feel it and have had the time to exist with it.

My blog entries dried up a bit, despite a very wet-eyed 4-weeks. Grief takes some energy. At times it's fueled my creative energies and sent me writing. Most of the time it's rendered me lethargic. I found myself popping any snack that crossed my path. Filling a void? Working through something? I actually bought dried apricots just to have something to chew on.

Summer's end isn't my favorite time to gain weight and I am not really sure that I have. More so, I feel the pain of life's changes passing through my body and that has caused the wrong hunger, bloats, or the uncomfortableness of living in my own skin.

I've made these healing blueberry crumb bars three times in the last three weeks! The recipe is from the Smitten Kitchen blog. I've tried some different versions of the recipe too, including substituting nectarines for half of the blueberries, adding orange zest instead of lemon and drenching the fruit compote with vanilla. I know this recipe would work with almost every fruit - raspberries will be good soon. 

The best part is that I did get to share these heavenly treats with my family and I didn't have to eat them alone. So friends, here's to emotional eating, living with grief and finding the joy as you move ahead. Eat up!