Brandi Reyna

Ms. Reyna is a creative soul with a passion for helping others. Her faith is very important to her and is reflected in her writings. She writes about her faith and the role it plays in her grieving process and how she grieves. Ms. Reyna's purpose for writing is to give voice to and shed light on unique losses. Ms.Reyna's articles focus primarily on building and living a new life after the sudden loss of her fiancé; the subsequent grief associated with sudden loss, her identification as an "unwedded widow" (a widow who was not legally married to her beloved), loss of a parent (grandparent) and creating a new life while living with loss. Ms. Reyna shares her journey to encourage others in their own faith and in their own healing journey. She hopes that by sharing her story and leading by example through her own life that her journey will show others that we can experience significant and impactful losses and still experience a full and joy-filled life after loss. Ms. Reyna holds a Master of Arts degree in Professional Studies with a specialization in Counseling.

Articles:

Even After Death, He’s ‘Still With Us’

Still With Us As I walked across the stage to get my degree, I told myself “You are still with me.” As I begin the start of a new year, […]

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Is Grieving a Denial of God?

Grieving the loss of your loved one does not mean that you have lost your faith or gone astray. Deep grief means you loved deeply, and that is not a […]

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Prayer for an Empty Chair

Dear Empty Chair, We hold a place for you, Where you used to be, As we glance over and remember what used to be. The memories we cherish fondly and […]

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The Ebb and Flow of Grief

Eleven Years Later If you would have told me 11 years ago, when I first lost my fiancé Greg a few weeks before our wedding day, that I would be […]

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Open to  hope

Self-Care During the Holidays

Self-Care During the Holidays The holidays are hard for people for any number of reasons. Losing someone who means a lot to you can be especially difficult during the holidays. […]

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grief candles

Seven Years Later, the Grief Lingers

7 years seems like such a long time, yet it also seems like such a small amount of time as well. 7 years full of birthdays, holidays, weddings, birth of […]

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Open to  hope

Grief Lesson: Life is Worth Fighting For

“Be Bold. Amaze Yourself. Take Chances. Live Your Life With Determination. This Your Time. You only LIVE ONCE.” ~ Author Unknown One thing life has taught me is that: Life […]

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Open to  hope

Poem: The Survivor

Most days I am able to function Go through with my routine Get up and go and live life Just like you did Just like we did Find the beauty […]

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Open to  hope

Seeing the Beauty of Life in the Wake of Death

Often as we are grieving, it is difficult to see the beauty that is left in our lives. For many who are grieving in the first year or two after […]

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Open to  hope

Three Years into Widowhood, Embracing a Birthday

“Hope your birthday is a good chance to see how far you have come, and look ahead to what the next year might be too!” ~Robin In September, I turned […]

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