as c.s. lewis explained, all grief is different, but in a way, all grief is the same. we all go through the same stages of grief, but the stages aren’t experienced in any particular order. the “long valley, the winding valley” of grief isn’t linear, each curve represents a new experience in a stage of grief. these stages shuffle, get stuck, repeat themselves, and often coincide. lewis’ descriptions of grief as a process and raw record of his own experience is heart wrenching, recognizable, and at times even inspiring. i think this is easily one of the most important reads of my life