In 2023, I had a house fire that saved me physically and eventually emotionally. This was after the divorce, the bankruptcy, the homelessness, the joblessness, the major health issues, the estrangement, the church hurts and so many other losses. Before 2023, I was always holding it together, staying strong, and being the steady one for everyone else. As an educator, a parent, a partner and a friend, I was never given real tools for what to do when grief, loss, trauma, or emotional overwhelm showed up—in students, in colleagues, or in myself. Instead, I pushed down what needed to be said because I either did not want to disappoint others, cause a problem, or because I had trouble saying “no”. I learned to push through....