Can we experience happiness after losing someone we love without feeling that we're leaving them behind?

In this episode of Hope After Loss, Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C., explores the guilt that sometimes accompanies laughter, pleasure, and moments of happiness after a death.

Drawing on her personal experience and professional perspective as a licensed counselor, Marilyn reflects on the enduring nature of love and how our relationships continue to shape our lives even after physical loss.

From a beautiful sunset to an unexpected laugh, she invites listeners to recognize that joy and grief can coexist—and that experiencing happiness does not diminish the love we carry.

In this episode:

• Why happiness after loss can trigger guilt
• How love continues beyond physical absence
• Finding connection through memories and everyday experiences
• Understanding continuing bonds
• Giving ourselves permission to experience joy again

Finding joy doesn't mean forgetting. Sometimes it means allowing the love that remains to continue enriching our lives.

Learn more at HopeAfterLossWithMarilyn.org.

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Thank you for listening to Hope After Loss: Conversations on Grief.

If this episode spoke to you, please consider sharing it with someone who may need support and hope today.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.

If you have a question or a topic that you would like me to gently explore,
you’re welcome to email me at healerzz@yahoo.com.

While I’m not able to provide individual counseling through email,
I would be honored to hold your question and possibly share it in a future podcast, so others may feel less alone.

Thank you for allowing me to walk beside you. Until next time, be gentle with yourself. Learning to walk with this pain begins one day at a time, one choice at a time to love yourself.

Books by Marilyn Burns, M.S., L.P.C.C.

For additional support, hope and healing, you can explore my books, including Lost No More: A Mother's Spiritual Journey Through Her Son's Addiction, Where Are You, God?, and Now I Lay Him Down To Rest.

View my books on Amazon