Journaling Through Grief

Journaling Through Grief with Heince
Date: Monday, September 28 from 7:00–7:45 pm EST

Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88131267936 (no need to pre-register)

Join PAIL Network volunteer Heince for a journaling workshop exploring how writing can be used as a way to process grief, make space for emotions, and bring some clarity during difficult days.  Heince shared a few words about why journaling is important to him:

“I’ve been volunteering with PAIL in Hamilton since January 2026, after attending as a participant in Toronto over 5 years ago.  My wife and I lost our daughter, Bernadette, in 2019, a day after she was born.  What had been a beautiful pregnancy led us to a completely routine labour – until it suddenly became anything but.  We were able to get Bernie out, but she’d suffered an extended period without oxygen, and following severe brain damage resulting from the trauma, she passed away the following day.

Needless to say, we were a wreck (even now, on some days, I still am).  But in those early days, what I remember being especially challenging was the daily blur: difficulty coordinating my thoughts, keeping track of time or conversations, and even just discerning one emotion from another.  It was hard to make any “progress” (whatever that means) toward healing when I couldn’t even orient myself in my own mind.  On a friend’s suggestion, I took up journaling, and found it extremely therapeutic and effective in cutting through that mental fog.  I’ve now been journaling consistently for a couple of years, and it has been one of the most positive changes I’ve made in my life.

I would never say that journaling (or any single technique or tool) is any kind of panacea.  But for me, journaling became a daily ritual of mindfulness, managing my emotions, and reclaiming control of my thoughts – a ritual in which I’ve found massive value.  I believe strongly in the healing and cathartic power of creativity in the grieving process.  For me, that creative outlet is writing – whether it’s focused writing, such as daily journaling, or creative writing (I am currently working on a memoir about our experience losing Bernadette, and am a member of the Hamilton Mountain Writer’s Guild, where I write bad satirical fiction).  It is a genuine honour to host this journaling workshop for families dealing with the loss of a pregnancy or infant, and it is my hope that it might help even one other person find some of the relief the practise has brought me.”