🕯️ The Grief That Opened the Light
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🕯️ 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.
34 comments
I too, like the others who have commented before me, found you from random swiping one evening, and here I still am. I found you, and found your light. You fascinate me, you inspire me, and I truly believe you are some of the most needed type of light in this crazy, mixed-up, dimming world. Your strength, your courage, and your downright honesty when showing us what your life really is like via your words you write in your blog to your humor in your videos- truly inspires me. Keep doing you. You are amazing!
Suicide death is a different kind of death. A different kind of grief. A different kind of heartbreak. Unlike any other loss.💔
I wonder every day if I can keep going with the pain I endure. It’s not fair that my husband has to care for me. He has put his whole life on hold for me. Last year alone I had six surgeries. In a couple short weeks I am having another major surgery. I will be in need not allowed to sit for six whole weeks. I know God has a plan and that’s what keeps me going. That and the beautiful family that I am so blessed with. I tell my husband every day gore much I love and appreciate him, but is it enough. Caretaker burnout is a real thing. I just hate that he has to go through . I hate being a burden. Being the one thing that holds him back. I don’t know why I I am drawn to your soul, but I am. Maybe God is trying to show me the other side of things. Yes your videos chaotic, but I need that chaos that I miss so much in my very Lonely current world. I cannot wait for my family to come see me. I cannot wait to play with my grandchildren. I just wish I was not so broken. They don’t need a broken mom/ grandma. They need a healthy one. I often wonder if their lives would be better without me holding them back. See that pain is stronger than the body pain. Not one person can explain the pain or souls feel. It’s like screaming from the inside out but no one can hear it. I would never take my own life because I truly believe that I would have to live this life over again and I don’t want to. But sometimes I just pray that God would take me home so my family no longer has to suffer. I want my husband to finally be free.
Thank you for sharing Scott’s story… your story. I feel like I was drawn to you just at the right time…. Sitting in the darkness, not only in the physical darkness but darkness in my heart, in my head. The feeling of having a house full of family but never feeling so alone. Just shut in my room pushing EVERYONE away because I just knew I couldn’t live another day with this chronic illness. The physical pain, the depression, I didn’t wanna mumble the words or thoughts why me another day. As I set there and scroll endlessly swiping through videos on FB thinking this is what life has come too for me I wasn’t even watching the videos I was just swiping to the next after a second of looking then something stopped me, it was you Ashley. Your voice was so calming I immediately stopped and found myself watching your video and your voice just eased my physical and emotional pain and I’ve been back everyday since. I still hurt everyday but I look forward to the scoops, the stories about Rissa and Scott and your oldest coming in from school. I feel connected to you, a friend I’ll never meet but a friend never the less. My kids watch your videos with me and they adore the pups and even my husband will chime in and say you in there watching Ashley again or something along the line of LeaAnn go rest and see if Ashley posted anything new today….
Thank you for being here
I am drawn to believe you are a big reason I’m still HERE.
I’m so sorry for your loss. You deserve the best of everything! You do an amazing job! The only thing I can’t do is take what I get. There’s a lot of things that I wouldn’t want picked for example, the tumblers. Or bookmarks or skin cream. Sleep masks, those are things I wouldn’t use. And I wouldn’t buy to give them to someone else. Your sun and dream catchers are beautiful! I love the luxe crossbody bags! But now we can’t give our preferences? It’s not ok to omit what we don’t like? I mean you have so much good stuff. And a lot of other companies abide by what people want. I really don’t want you to think I’m just a whiner but I would love to get my money’s worth sweetheart. Again I’m so sorry about your husband and how difficult it is for you. I get that you are on a mission. I’d love to help if I can. Keep in touch with me please 🙏 💘 from your new friend Salina. Let me know what you think please.