This afternoon we walked along the water at Queen’s Quay, quietly longing for summer. We wandered into a few of the free exhibits and museums nearby, paused to watch a glassblowing class, and took the long way home—reminiscing at every corner of Yonge Street. I especially loved our walk down memory lane at the Harbourfront Centre’s “Mr. DressUp to Degrassi: 42 Years of Legendary Toronto Kids TV” reimagined, hands-on exhibit.
Oh, the memories it stirred. The nostalgia.
Nostalgia feels like a powerful companion in grief.
When you’re grieving someone who was deeply woven into your life, nostalgia gently fills parts of the space they’ve left behind. It reconnects you to what was—to moments when love was still active and alive. It lets you feel, even briefly, the warmth of having had.
It deepens your sense of connection, reminding you that your past is not gone—it still lives within you. And today, it brought me a quiet kind of comfort through familiarity.
So many of my childhood memories feel bittersweet—some even painful. But today didn’t feel triggering. Just soft, steady reminders of love.
Some people say nostalgia keeps us stuck. But in grief, I’m beginning to understand it differently. It’s in the little things—the ordinary moments that once felt insignificant but now feel like everything.
Sometimes a memory hits and it breaks me. Other times, it softens something in me.
Maybe that’s what nostalgia is in grief.
Not looking backward…
but reaching for something that still belongs to you.
#mrdressup #caseyandfinnegan #nostalgia #memories #grief #harbourfront #queensquay #mentalhealth
YouAreEnough 