About Michal

“You’re so strong, I could never even imagine.”

Words that I’m sure many of us grieving have heard. I don’t think I’m alone in stating that although people believe it is comforting, it is one of the most irritating things to hear. We don’t want to be strong, we just don’t have a choice. This death happened to us, not for us. We can’t either imagine having to live the rest of our lives without our loved ones, but it’s not something we can choose to imagine or not - it is something we have to live with, forever.

In a universe where Death is the most accurate prediction - it will 100% happen to you and to the people around you, it is almost shocking how hard it is to talk about and find others to connect with. In our society, people are still very uncomfortable around the topic and would rather avoid it. Who wants to think about dying? Who wants to think about cemeteries and funerals and orphans? Better avoid it altogether and pretend it won’t actually happen to us or the people we love and can’t “imagine” living without.

This is how I felt after my parents passed away within two years. I went from being a carefree young girl to an adult orphan in a lonely world. Ordinary conversations that used to excite me were now dull and meaningless. Friendships that used to sustain me now seemed irrelevant and awkward. How was I to find a community that understood the pain I was in, the darkness that enveloped me, the loneliness I couldn’t escape. I searched the web and browsed different grief resources out there. Although there were many online programs with emailed writing prompts or newsletters, it wasn’t enough. I wanted something authentic, something live - somewhere I could build real connections with. I wanted to meet people who also lost their mother and with her, all hope in the world. I wanted to meet people who understood the pain of watching your parent die from cancer, the struggles of being a caregiver, the grievances of having to deal with the logistics and the paperwork, the bills and the wills and the estate matters, the nitty gritty details that the movies leave out. The ugliness of death that isn’t shown on instagram reels. I wanted to talk about all of this with people that wouldn’t shy away or secretly be waiting for the minute they can get out of this morbid conversation.

After a few weeks of endless scrolling on the internet, I chose to take initiative and start my own group. Every week I worked on creating writing prompts about topics I myself wanted to write about and discuss. I asked anyone who was grieving to join, and they did. It was an experiment: would people like this, would people want to write with me and discuss with me all these personal and vulnerable stories about their most precious loved ones and their dark thoughts? Would they do all of this in the open? The experiment was successful, and The Mending Word was born. Since its inception in 2022, over 55 grievers have joined a continuous series with many others joining one-off holiday sessions and the like.

These series are made for those who are craving an authentic and raw space to share their deepest thoughts and not be judged or looked at weirdly. It's an open space to grieve, connect, and mend what can’t be fixed. Together, we can find the small spaces in between the grief that will allow us to keep on living with our losses and transforming our feelings into the written word.

A powerful tool to bring further healing and connection into the world.

To join a session, sign up online or email Michal at michal@themendingword.com