🕯️ The Grief That Opened the Light

🕯️ The Grief That Opened the Light

🕯️ The Grief That Opened the Light

Losing Scott. Finding myself. Becoming the light I never saw in me.

Nothing in this world could have prepared me for losing Scott.

It was Father’s Day—June 18, 2023. A date forever burned into my soul. What was supposed to be a day of love and celebration became the day everything shattered.
The day I lost my person. My soulmate. My everything.

No one saw it coming. Not me. Not our family. Not anyone.
He was strong. Independent. The one who could fix anything. The last person you’d ever expect to take his own life.

And yet—he did.

No one truly knew everything he was suffering with. It was a lot.
He had health problems many didn’t know about. He was on multiple medications—and they changed him. He struggled to find days where he felt “healthy.”

He had suffered a TBI (traumatic brain injury) back in 2002, and he always said he hadn’t felt the same since.
He experienced constant vertigo, was always dizzy. He was overworked. Stressed. And more than anything, he just wanted to feel normal.

He started several depression medications (and to be honest, he didn’t always take them regularly like he was supposed to). He was on sleeping pills, too—medications that caused hallucinations. He’d wake up and walk around—mostly to raid the pantry, lol—and not remember any of it the next day.

Eventually, he started having memory issues. I tried to tell him, “We’re 40 now—we all have memory problems!” but that didn’t sit well with him.
He strived so hard to feel healthy and would try anything that might help. That often meant skipping his meds for several days, because they gave him what he called “brain fog.”
He hated that feeling. He used that term constantly.

I would tell him I feel like I live with brain fog daily too, but for him—it felt like it was a major problem and he was deteriorating.
So he’d stop taking everything for a few days, and finally get a bit of clarity... only for the dizziness to come crashing back in and knock him down again for weeks.

It was a battle I knew he was fighting, and I did my best to keep him positive, to help in any way I could.
To make him laugh. To remind him who he was. 
But in the end... I truly believe a new medication pushed him even further into that dark place.

He had started a prescription meant to treat early dementia symptoms. And for three solid weeks, he sat on the sofa and didn’t say a single full sentence to any of us.
He was a complete zombie.

It took me a couple more weeks to convince him to call his doctor and explain that the medication wasn’t helping—that it wasn’t the answer.
And he finally did.

He stopped the medicine...
And then, a couple of weeks after that—he was gone.

I never once imagined this outcome. I never knew how deep his dark thoughts were. He kept those to himself.


Almost two years have passed… and I still sit here feeling like he’s just at work. That he’ll walk through the door any minute now.
That somehow, this was all a mistake.

But it wasn’t.
And every time I stop long enough to truly let it hit me… that he’s not coming home... my world goes black. My future goes blank. Because to me, there is no future without him in it.

Scott wasn’t just my partner—he was my soul's reflection.
We've found each other in every lifetime. And this time—this life—was our final round here.
Our hardest test. Our deepest assignment. 

And God, sometimes I wonder… why in the hell did we sign up for this?

But I know now.

This was the lifetime I was meant to be stripped bare—grief, heartbreak, trauma—and still rise.
This was the life where I would learn to GLOW from the inside out.
Where I’d remember who I really am…
So I can help others remember who they are.

Scott is still here.
I feel him. I can hear him.
He hasn’t left—not really. We just speak a different language now.

He sends me signs. He whispers love. He shows up when I need him most.
And even though I would give anything to go back and save him…
He’s shown me that I did have the power all along.

He has told me that he wishes he would have thought this through. That he hadn't acted on impulse that day. He never imagined the amount of pain that his passing would cause all of us, but in the moment, he just couldn't see past his own pain. He regrets that day. And he is deeply remorseful. But he is also pain-free. And that alone makes me smile...for him. Because it is so desperately what he was searching for all these years. 

I always thought he was my light.
But he always knew the truth: I was the light.
He saw it. Even when I couldn’t.

Now… I know what I came here to do.

No, I’ll never be the same. I’ll always carry this pain. I’ll always be shattered inside.
But within that brokenness is something else: power. Purpose.
A sacred mission.

I’m here to help heal others.
To hold them in their darkest moments.
To help them feel what I needed so badly to feel:
That they are not alone.

I can’t change what happened.
But I can use it to change someone else’s world.

So if you're reading this—if you're in your own darkness—hear me when I say:

You don’t have to stay there.
You came here to shine.

Things will get better for you and there is always another way. 

✨ Ignite your SPARK.
Embrace your LIGHT.
Heal your SOUL.

And if no one’s told you today—
I see you. I love you. And I’m here to help you remember who you are.


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34 comments

Ashley I am so sorry for your loss. I think we all that have experienced loss can feel your pain because we have known it also. I must admit that I have watched your videos for months but never took the time to read your blog, and I am sorry that I waited so long. You have come into our lives to brighten our days and make us smile even when it’s difficult for you to do so. Ashley you are a writer, a memory keeper, and a story teller. I am fascinated and captivated by your words and you are wonderful at it. They touch my heart and soul, and if you wrote a book I would be first in line to buy it.

Julie Ault

Ashley, I just read this and tears started flowing. I definitely have been in that very dark place and almost took my own life in 2023 because of pain and being limited in my ability to move around. Thanks to my best friend, my “person” I went to counseling and it has helped. I still struggle some days but honestly, I watch your videos everyday and actually enjoy the chaos and the real true life you show people. Your spirit is so pure, and I feel your strength and it encourages me that life isn’t always perfect and that’s ok. As long as you have the people around you to support you. Thank you for being who you are, so raw, and real❤️

Dawn Rolland

I definitely found you in one of my darkest times and you were the light I needed to laugh, smile, and remember even the smallest things can lead you into the light! Thank you for sharing your story with a grateful heart and love I truly appreciate you most days ✌️🫶

Sarah Hoyt

Ashley I have recently discovered your page . I felt lead to message you and say Thank You . You are a true blessing. I lost two of my grandbabies in an automobile accident April was 3 years ago and I really didn’t think I was going to make it through it. Then my best friend my soul mate fell dead in the parking lot of his heart doctor . November will be two years ago and my life has not been the same since . Last year I was diagnosed with intestinal cancer I have been through Chemotherapy and the doctors say as of right now I am Cancer free but some days I just don’t feel like carrying on . The only thing that keeps me here is my two daughters and my four grandchildren. Girl you are in my Prayers May God Bless you over and over cause you are a blessing

Tammy Hyatt

Suicide is hard to deal with. In your heart you know they are no longer hurting, but your heart hurts and part is missing forever more. It has been 7 years since my baby boy took his life. We tried to help. And we will never truly know if anything more we would have done would have helped. Nor will I not have the thoughts of what did I do wrong or miss or could have done. Tyler is still with me I do see and feel signs. My heart breaks for you too. I would never want anyone to feel the way this loss feels. You videos and the chaos makes me happy so thank you for that.

Tabitha Perone

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