Grief can take many forms. The most familiar is when we are faced with the loss of a loved one. There are rituals of mourning, familiar ways of providing comfort and an accepted and understood common language that we use to show our support. What about when we grieve the loss of an Identity? Or the loss of a Relationship? A Job? A Dream? Although the emotions might be similar, there are often no rituals, no common language.

A man tried to burn down his mosque in one of many post-9/11 hate crimes. Issa Qandeel confronted him, was shot at and chased him. The FBI wanted to make an example out of him, but Issa argued for a lesser sentence, citing the importance of forgiveness in Islam. I had the honor of interviewing him and telling his story in Colors NW Magazine on the one-year anniversary of the attacks of September 11.

I’m telling this story because I want you all to understand that when I say I get it, I really mean it. I’m committed to doing everything I can to make sure our national office provides world-class support to all its Alliance members. Because that’s where we’re improving and even saving lives—on the ground, in communities, one person at a time.

Paige Goble, a 17-year-old senior at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia will be our guest.

Being a mother is one of the greatest things in the world, however, no one ever shares how lonely it can be.

I often find myself caught in what I call the ‘in between’. Living life in the moments between where I had hoped we would be and where we are in this present moment.

We will focus on the challenges parents face (and the impact on their mental health) when one child is very different from the other.

We will focus on the challenges of parenting after childhood trauma AND what we do to control the narrative (what we share about our families) even at a young age.

Growing up I had to take care of myself a lot. My dad was an alcoholic and my house was often very chaotic. I never wanted to have friends over because of this secret we kept in our family. I spent a lot of time at other kids' houses realizing that things in my house were not normal.