Grief is one of the hardest things we face as humans. It doesn’t matter if the loss is sudden or expected, big or small—when love ends in goodbye, our world changes.

I’ve been learning this firsthand after saying goodbye to my cat, Georgia. I adopted her knowing our time might be short, but I didn’t expect how deeply she would become part of my daily rhythm, or how much it would hurt to lose her.

But that’s what grief is. It’s the ache of absence where love used to live.

And while grief is universal, it’s also deeply personal. There’s no single way to experience it, no timeline that makes sense for everyone. But there are ways to move through it with compassion—for yourself, for others, and for the one you lost.

October came with heartbreak and healing. The month started off steady enough, but life quickly became overwhelming when my cat’s health declined. Her kidney failure progressed, and her quality of life began to fade. After speaking with the vet, I made the incredibly hard decision to have her humanely euthanized. Back in September, she’d spent time at the emergency vet — that’s when I learned about her kidney failure. They were able to stabilize her, giving me a few extra weeks with her that I’ll always treasure. Saying goodbye still hurt deeply, but I take comfort in knowing she’s no longer suffering.