<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Jen Journal: Notes on grief, growth, and the journey in between.]]></title><description><![CDATA[A soft place to land for widows and widowers. Real talk on grief, losing the BS filter, and finding the strength to keep going. You’re not alone here.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2026 03:34:35 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.thejenjournal.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[My Widow Story]]></title><description><![CDATA[I fully expected to bring him home from St. Vincent’s. After all, he had survived a small heart attack on our wedding anniversary in September of 2018, and I believed this would be another hurdle we’d clear together. But twelve days later, on October 3, 2025, I lost my soulmate, the love of my life, and my steady ground. I was 51 years old, and Greg was only 55.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/my-story</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe423b4f7ebdc9f6aaf36a</guid><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Growth After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Healing Through Reflection]]></category><category><![CDATA[Resilience in Everyday Life]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 20:25:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_87c72dbaaa26436daad9729979a0ac15~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_635,h_418,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Biology of Being Held: A Widow’s Story of Rebuilding]]></title><description><![CDATA[“Because mother hunger doesn’t disappear with age—it just changes shape.” Parenting through grief has rearranged our entire safety map, and I’m learning how to be the anchor even when I feel like I’m rebuilding myself from the inside out.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/nurturing-the-biology-of-being-held</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a32b8ca921e6f3c0c58404d</guid><category><![CDATA[Navigating Motherhood After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Growth After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Embracing Vulnerability]]></category><category><![CDATA[Navigating Motherhood After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Healing Through Shared Stories]]></category><category><![CDATA[Navigating Emotional Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Biological Impact of Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Rebuilding After Loss]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 20:53:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_cdcbb6cf7d0c452bbb0cf780f760dfe0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Father’s Day Hurts: Grief, Legacy, and the Love Greg Left Behind]]></title><description><![CDATA[If Father’s Day feels heavy for you too—whether you’ve lost your dad, or you’re a mom watching your kids miss theirs, or you’re grieving a father‑figure who shaped your life—I hope you find a piece of your own story here. Grief shows up in all kinds of outfits, and none of them are wrong.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/when-father-s-day-hurts-grief-legacy-and-the-love-greg-left-behind</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a281ad17af0f733569afadc</guid><category><![CDATA[Navigating Motherhood After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Healing Through Reflection]]></category><category><![CDATA[Resilience in Everyday Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Healing Through Shared Stories]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2026 01:50:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_fc9b7a60122841a197449855de1864b9~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Running in Circles With Grief: Untangling Love, Loss, and the House That Won’t Let You Off the Wheel]]></title><description><![CDATA[Grief didn’t hit me like a poetic wave or a somber literary weight. It put me on a wheel—right here in the house Greg and I built—and spun me around until I was dizzy enough to vomit. No one tells you that the hardest part of loss is the sheer amount of cardio it demands. It keeps you looping through the same rooms, tracking the same dust bunnies, and colliding with the echoes of a life you weren’t ready to retire.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/choosing-myself-in-grief</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a295ff38ae4d2c74dcfa46c</guid><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Growth After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Coping Strategies for Insomnia]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Grief and Home]]></category><category><![CDATA[Healing Through Shared Stories]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 20:46:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_0ad382302b44467e9a6ad1b5c4f05193~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Aqua‑Net Hair, ’80s Anthems, and the Grief Playlist Nobody Warned Me About]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nobody warned me that losing my person would turn grocery‑store music into an emotional minefield. From “Take My Breath Away” ambushes to sacred songs I refuse to skip, this is my story of grief, ’80s anthems, and choosing what I listen to with care—because music can shift our mood faster than Aqua‑Net held up my hair.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/aqua-net-hair-80s-anthems-and-the-grief-playlist-nobody-warned-me-about</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a22fe74861147e383958216</guid><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Coping Strategies for Insomnia]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Healing Through Reflection]]></category><category><![CDATA[Navigating Grief's Layers]]></category><category><![CDATA[Embracing Vulnerability]]></category><category><![CDATA[Healing Through Shared Stories]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2026 23:30:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_dee1c1e4176c4a50a0a5a134cc32a838~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_783,h_626,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Unspoken Anger of Grief]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some battles are chosen, others are inherited — and grief leaves us holding the pieces, trying to make sense of a story we never had full control over.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/the-unspoken-anger-of-grief</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a24d7931f44c606b37a9464</guid><category><![CDATA[Emotional Resilience After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Healing Through Shared Stories]]></category><category><![CDATA[Navigating Grief's Layers]]></category><category><![CDATA[Healing Through Reflection]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2026 04:01:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_083d6697fd6742a2a1df887771a18dad~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Packing Tape Paradox: Surviving the Extreme Sport of Emotional Storage]]></title><description><![CDATA[The outside world loves to give you a standing ovation for how well you appear to be ‘handling things.’ The second your life implodes, society rushes the field with a clipboard and an endless checklist of administrative logistics. You quickly realize that if you don’t find an immediate containment unit for the crushing weight of your raw emotions, you won't survive the grocery store checkout line, a professional Teams call, or an ordinary Thursday afternoon.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/the-packing-tape-paradox-surviving-the-extreme-sport-of-emotional-storage</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a1ed24ab7fe62b256a00d1f</guid><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Growth After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Coping Strategies for Insomnia]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Embracing Vulnerability]]></category><category><![CDATA[Resilience in Everyday Life]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_341c13d0a28a489ebd5e043402e64e66~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Discover Widow Support Blogs Online: Your Cozy Corner for Healing and Hope]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you’ve landed here, you might be navigating the choppy waters of loss, looking for a lifeline or maybe just a friendly voice that gets it. Losing someone you love is like being handed a map with half the landmarks missing. You’re expected to find your way, but the path is foggy, and the compass feels broken. That’s where widow support blogs online come in—little beacons of light, warmth, and sometimes a dash of humor to remind you that you’re not alone.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/discover-widow-support-blogs-online-your-cozy-corner-for-healing-and-hope</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a198d27145da5e383096755</guid><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Growth After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Coping Strategies for Insomnia]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Healing Through Reflection]]></category><category><![CDATA[Finding Joy Amidst Grief]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:07:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_065ab7f4fb4949df8c1edd5f8275bc41~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The No-Whiner Manifesto: Why I vanished from Facebook and how I'm building back.]]></title><description><![CDATA[When Facebook nuked my profiles, it felt like a second, crushing loss. It wasn't just about the network; it was the realization that they had detached me from the memories I shared with Greg. It was a digital erasure of our time together. We’ve already lost so much in this journey, and having those digital artifacts—those snapshots of a life we once lived together—suddenly ripped away adds a layer of grief that is hard to explain to anyone who hasn't felt that specific kind of hollowed-out hurt.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/the-no-whiner-manifesto</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a199c18cd05d69352d1764d</guid><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Growth After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Coping Strategies for Insomnia]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Resilience in Everyday Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Navigating Life's Absurdities]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 30 May 2026 12:14:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_2066df87f3d048c2968081b44aa1114c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_686,h_386,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Turkey Baster Strategy for Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is a moment in the aftermath of every tragedy where you are faced with a choice. It’s a quiet, heavy, and deeply personal decision: Do I stay down here? Staying down is easy. It’s safe. It’s where the grief and the "what-ifs" live. But the trap isn't always the big grief; sometimes, it’s the small, ridiculous inconveniences that act as magnets, pulling you right back into the pit.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/the-turkey-baster-strategy-for-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a18862fcc403ab10fc000fb</guid><category><![CDATA[Navigating Life's Absurdities]]></category><category><![CDATA[Finding Joy Amidst Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Resilience in Everyday Life]]></category><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2026 10:26:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_19a16f7eb843455fb97b3b8e7f351302~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_941,h_627,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda: A Widow’s Take on Hindsight, Heartache, and Our Imperfectly Perfect Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[Welcome to the "Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda" cycle. It’s my brain’s favorite pastime: a high-definition, 24/7 loop of all the ways I could have been a better wife, a better helper, or just a better "mind reader" when Greg was still here. ]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/shoulda-coulda-woulda-a-widow-s-take-on-hindsight-heartache-and-our-imperfectly-perfect-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a11c8eb8fa816dacc813b53</guid><category><![CDATA[Healing Through Reflection]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Growth After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Grief and Home]]></category><category><![CDATA[Healing Through Shared Stories]]></category><category><![CDATA[Finding Joy Amidst Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Embracing Vulnerability]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2026 00:01:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_1aef785ede2c483ab23e2aed51ef8b03~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Grief: The Longest Run in Theater History]]></title><description><![CDATA[For my entire life, I had dismissed theater. But in that seat, with the snow falling outside, I understood the true power of this art form. Theater isn’t about wearing a mask; it's about seeing the universal human heart—its love, its grief, its beautiful, messy truth—perfectly articulated, even when you have no words of your own. ]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/grief-the-longest-run-in-theater-history</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0f1358b883334b04e047e2</guid><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Growth After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Coping Strategies for Insomnia]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life After Loss]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2026 20:28:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_dc82dfce01004cde8c267c69e0e41f4c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_723,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Solo Flight, No Ground Control]]></title><description><![CDATA[You don’t realize how much room you have to fly until the person holding your safety net is gone. Operating in zero gravity is exhausting. It means being Maverick and Iceman, the visionary and the pragmatist, the free spirit and the strict schedule-keeper, all at the exact same time.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/solo-flight-no-ground-control</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0cf0c8cb0791383ec0f9b3</guid><category><![CDATA[Embracing Vulnerability]]></category><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Growth After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Coping Strategies for Insomnia]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Resilience in Everyday Life]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 00:21:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_b92dfbaeac404aba8c76584d31bef345~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_675,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don't Call it a Sequel]]></title><description><![CDATA[You don't compress three decades of inside jokes, fierce loyalty, building a life from scratch, and raising a family into a single section of a table of contents.

He wasn’t a chapter in my life—we wrote an entire, multi-volume book series together. We lived it, page by chaotic page, and that massive anthology is bound into the very fabric of who I am. You don't just finish an epic series like that, set it on a shelf, and pretend it didn't shape your entire vocabulary.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/don-t-call-it-a-sequel</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0b59bce4e1fe1692b2bc01</guid><category><![CDATA[Dating After Loss]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 14:48:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_24db9621567b46e9a0d76e0b45a13781~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_512,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[​"I Love You, You’re Going to Die": A Masterclass in Medical PTSD]]></title><description><![CDATA[I have picked up my pen and stared at a blank screen a hundred times trying to find the words for this post. Naming this part of my story has been the most difficult thing I have ever had to write. It’s heavy, it’s raw, and it forces me back into a room I have spent months trying to outrun. But I’m writing it anyway—for my own healing, and for anyone else carrying the invisible, loud weight of a day that went completely off-script.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/i-love-you-you-re-going-to-die-a-masterclass-in-medical-ptsd</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a09c887f943bb95ae58dfbe</guid><category><![CDATA[Journaling Through Grief]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Growth After Loss]]></category><category><![CDATA[Compounded Loss Journeys]]></category><category><![CDATA[Embracing Vulnerability]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2026 13:12:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_2ebe7fb672a748b3b96b46e53c2a6d41~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Professional Ceiling Inspector]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is a specific shift that happens when the rest of the world goes quiet. During the day, you can stay busy. You can answer emails, run errands, and keep your mind moving fast enough to outrun the heaviest parts of grief. But at night, the distractions run out. The bedroom gets incredibly quiet, and that quiet has a way of magnifying the empty space right beside you.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/professional-ceiling-inspector</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a074876df43effc8cdd2125</guid><category><![CDATA[Coping Strategies for Insomnia]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 17 May 2026 03:33:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_0530786f337640fd8e792e624fc78322~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Compounded Grief: When the Waves Won’t Stop Crashing]]></title><description><![CDATA[When you’re dealing with compounded grief, your brain starts to short-circuit. You don’t get the "luxury" of processing one loss before the next one hits. It feels like standing in the ocean during a storm. You fight to the surface after the first wave, gasping for air, only to see the next wall of water towering over you. Eventually, you stop looking for the shore and just focus on holding your breath.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/compounded-grief-when-the-waves-won-t-stop-crashing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a037546e8ad7aab1e5d4a45</guid><category><![CDATA[Compounded Loss Journeys]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2026 10:57:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_44aee39a158845f6bacfe96ce691454d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_612,h_408,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Cognitive Heist: Brain Fog &#38; Sump Pumps]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you’re still feeling "foggy" months or years later, give yourself a break. Your brain isn't broken; it's just re-wiring itself. The fog isn't a sign that you’re losing it; it’s a sign of how much space that person still holds in your heart. ]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/the-cognitive-heist-brain-fog-sump-pumps</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a03ed67618ba45174fe2e1f</guid><category><![CDATA[Grief Fog]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 02:07:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_a7540b98a3034c139bc08a3c9e522f90~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Unfiltered: Why Authenticity is My New Superpower]]></title><description><![CDATA[My "superpower" isn't bravery. It’s the refusal to lie about how much this sucks. By being raw about the restlessness and the phantom whistles, I’m not trying to be a hero. I’m just trying to acknowledge that my life’s blueprints got shredded and I’m currently building a new foundation with spit and sheer stubbornness.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/unfiltered-why-authenticity-is-my-new-superpower</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0343e748aeb3fcb2402f0a</guid><category><![CDATA[Embracing Vulnerability]]></category><category><![CDATA[Personal Growth After Loss]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 15:45:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/664f97_aaa0132c0bfd4d939e4e23bf60403c96~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_683,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Architect of My Motherhood]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lately, I’ve been telling myself this lie: I suck at being a mother without him. When I’m second-guessing a decision or feeling the weight of parenting adult children alone, I feel like a bird trying to fly with one wing. I'm spinning in circles, wondering why I’m so exhausted.]]></description><link>https://www.thejenjournal.com/post/the-architect-of-my-motherhood</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0009a6caaaec720f9b2e0f</guid><category><![CDATA[Navigating Motherhood After Loss]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2026 04:51:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_c204816ddcae4875905be446f8db305f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Keller</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>