Resilience & Vitality

Lisa Story on July 7, 2026

Turning Toward the Light While Remaining Rooted

This July carries special significance as our nation celebrates 250 years of independence. Celebrations of fireworks and festivities inspired but so did reflection. I pondered a bit about the history of our country and in many ways, thought of resilience became the focus. Our history reflects people that navigated uncertainty, rebuilt after hardship, cared for one another through war, illness, economic struggle, and personal loss. Long before there were formal support services, there were family caregivers tending to aging parents, neighbors bringing meals, communities gathering around those who were grieving, and generations finding ways to move forward while carrying the memories of those they loved.

Today is no different. That same spirit continues. Every caregiver who rises before dawn to help a loved one begin another day demonstrates resilience. Every person navigating the unfamiliar landscape of grief while continuing to show up for family, work, or community embodies quiet vitality. These stories may never appear in history books, yet they form the foundation upon which families and ultimately communities are built.

Perhaps resilience is not simply about “being strong.” Maybe it is found in allowing ourselves to be human, in asking for help when we need it, resting without guilt, finding laughter in the heavy and accepting that healing rarely follows a straight path. Like the sunflower, resilience is less about standing unmoved through every storm and more about staying rooted enough to bend, recover, and continue reaching toward the light.

In much the same way, vitality may look different than we expect. It is not always found in endless energy or constant productivity. It can be found in the quiet moments that restore us, such as a meaningful conversation, time spent in nature, a nourishing meal, sharing a story, or finding room for joy even while carrying sorrow. These small moments of care gently remind us that we are still growing, still healing, and that our lives continue to offer hope to others.

At Hope Grows, we believe resilience is cultivated in relationships. Whether through counseling, support groups, the Gathering Table (Grief Soup gatherings, Caregiver2Caregiver mentoring, and the Legacy Project), or simply putting a head on a pillow at the Iris Respite House or walking through the healing gardens together, healing happens when people discover they do not have to carry life’s burdens alone. Every story shared strengthens not only the individual but the community around them.

As we commemorate 250 years of our nation’s journey, perhaps take the time to ponder a few things about what the 250th anniversary of our country invites us to consider. One of the greatest tributes we can offer is to continue caring for one another. Every family caregiver who sits beside a hospital bed, every neighbor who delivers a meal, every volunteer who offers a listening ear, and every person who walks alongside someone in grief strengthens the fabric of our community. Our country’s future will not be measured solely by its accomplishments, but by how faithfully we support those who are vulnerable, honor those who came before us, and invest in those who will come after us.

The Hope Grows legacy asks us to share just that.

Written by Lisa Story, MSCP, LPC, CT
Hope Grows Founder & Director

  • Essential Oil: Melaleuca (Tea Tree)
  • Flower: Sunflower

At Hope Grows, we believe healing happens when we create space for both grief and growth. Through counseling, support groups, respite opportunities, and programs such as The Gathering Table & Legacy Initiative – Grief Soup, we invite caregivers and those grieving a loss to share their stories, find connection, and discover moments of restoration along the way. Call us at 412.369.4673 or email [email protected].

Disclaimer: This site offers information designed for educational purposes only. You should not rely on any information on this site as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or as a substitute for professional counseling care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional.

Category: Emotions and Coping, Grieving, Mindfulness and Understanding, Self Care

Tag: coping with loss, grief, loss

Nourishment – June Focus

Lisa Story on June 4, 2026

Nourishment: Savoring What Is Blooming

June arrives with longer days, gardens blooming, and nature quietly reminding us that growth does not happen all at once. Spring’s tender beginnings have given way to the possibilities of summer abundance. Blossoms open, vegetables begin to emerge from the soil, birds feed their young, and the world seems to exhale into a season of nourishment.

Yet nourishment is about more than food.

For those navigating grief, loss, caregiving, or life transitions, nourishment often becomes something deeper; a gentle invitation to replenish what has been depleted. Feeling the sadness or pain of loss has a way of consuming our energy, disrupting our routines, and disconnecting us from the things that once sustained us. Amid the sorrow, we may forget to eat well, rest deeply, or tend to our own needs. We may find ourselves surviving rather than thriving.

Nature teaches us another way.

A garden does not bloom continuously without pause. Between periods of growth are moments of rest, integration, and renewal. The roots beneath the soil quietly absorb nutrients. Rain nourishes what the sun has awakened. Growth and restoration work together, each depending on the other, the same is true for us.

We Learn What We Live

Social Learning Theory, developed by Albert Bandura, teaches us that much of human behavior is learned through observation and modeling. As children, and throughout life, we absorb lessons not only from what we are told but from what we witness in others. We learn how to express emotions, navigate relationships, cope with stress, and respond to grief by watching those around us. This idea is reflected in Dorothy Law Nolte’s well-known phrase, “Children learn what they live.” In many ways, behavior is caught more often than it is taught. The patterns we experience and observe often shape how we move through the world, influencing how we care, cope, connect, and heal across generations.

As some of you may know, Hope Grows was born out of my grief and I tell the family story through a 4-part YouTube Video Series. As I reflect on my childhood, I observed and absorbed lessons of nourishment in the sense of ‘taking a break’. I watched my parents, especially my mom, never “Take a Break.” She was a real trend setter back in the day, a work from home mom, juggling six children and running the office for my dad’s roofing business. I learned about great work ethic but also learned that “taking a break” had to be earned. Ugh!

I digress a bit here, but the point being that as we move through June, let us consider nourishment as more than just food to sustain us. Nourishment begins by giving ourselves permission to rest. Not because we have earned it, but because we need it. Rest is not laziness. It is an act of care. It allows our minds, bodies, and spirits to integrate what we have experienced and creates space to reflect on where we have been and where we are going.

One Last Thought: Nourishment in Grief is Storytelling

One of the most overlooked forms of nourishment in grief is storytelling. When we tell our stories, we begin to gather the scattered pieces of our experience. We make meaning from what has happened. We remember not only the loss, but also the love. Sharing our stories allows us to carry memories forward rather than carry them alone. It helps us discover that our grief is part of our story, but it is not the entirety of who we are.

Just as a honeysuckle vine grows by intertwining itself with the world around it, our stories connect us to others. They remind us that healing often happens in relationships. Through conversation, reflection, journaling, support groups, or simply sitting with a trusted friend, we nourish ourselves when we allow our stories to be heard.

Book with a sprig of lavender 1

Consider lavender, the essential oil for the month. It is beloved for its calming and restorative qualities. Lavender encourages us to slow down, breathe deeply, and create moments of peace amidst life’s demands. It reminds us that nourishment is not always found in doing more. Sometimes it is found by being present, allowing our nervous systems to settle, and receiving the comfort that the oil offers.

Reflection: May you find nourishment for your mind, body, and spirit. May you rest when needed, savor what is blooming, and remember that your story matters.

Written by Lisa Story, MSCP, LPC, CT
Hope Grows Founder & Director

Focus of the Month: Nourishment
Essential Oil: Lavender
Flower: Honeysuckle

At Hope Grows, we believe healing happens when we create space for both grief and growth. Through counseling, support groups, respite opportunities, and programs such as The Gathering Table & Legacy Initiative – Grief Soup, we invite caregivers and those grieving a loss to share their stories, find connection, and discover moments of restoration along the way. Call us at 412.369.4673 or email [email protected].

Disclaimer: This site offers information designed for educational purposes only. You should not rely on any information on this site as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or as a substitute for professional counseling care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional.

Belonging

Lisa Story on May 16, 2026

The Cost of Love (and the Gift of Belonging)

There is something almost unbelievable about rose oil. It takes approximately 252,000 individual petals—about 8,000 roses—to produce a single 5ml bottle. Forty-two pounds of petals, gathered, distilled, transformed… into something so small, so potent, so precious. Holy roses!

And perhaps that is where we begin this month.

Because caregivers understand cost. Not in petals—but in moments. In sleep lost. In meals skipped. In parts of themselves quietly set aside. Love, in caregiving, often becomes synonymous with giving. With doing. With enduring. But what if belonging asks something different from us?

A Different Kind of Love

Lily of the Valley blooms softly, almost hidden. It does not demand attention. It does not compete for space. It simply exists—sweet, quiet, present. Its fragrance is not overwhelming. You must come close to notice it. There is no striving in it. No performance. Just presence.

And this is where we gently challenge a thought that many of us have come to believe. That love must be proven through depletion. That connection must be earned through sacrifice. That belonging is something you give, not something you receive.

There is a sweetness that can come without demand. At Hope Grows, we often speak about rest, restoration, and care, I mentioned this in last month’s Tender Growth blog. I know those words can feel hollow when your world has shifted. So, let’s not start there. Instead, let’s ask a different question. Can you allow love to exist, without needing to prove it? Not the love you give, but the love that might be offered to you. Because belonging is not built through effort alone. It is cultivated through allowing.

Lilly of the Valley 1

Hope Grows and the Root of Good Care Counseling practice strives to nurture the process of sitting with someone’s pain, and allow the emotion without judgment.

By allowing someone to sit with you without fixing, allowing a meal to be shared without obligation, and allowing your story to be heard without needing to shape it into something acceptable is one of the hardest things to do but worth trying.

The Gathering Table: Where Belonging Is Practiced

This “allowing” is the quiet heartbeat of the Gathering Table & Legacy Initiative. Not a program you attend, but a space you enter. A table where nourishment is offered—not just in food, but in presence. Where stories are shared—not for outcome, but for connection. Where mentorship is not about guidance alone, but about walking beside. There is something sacred that happens when people gather without expectation.

When the question is not, “What do you need to do?” but rather, “Can you simply be here?”  Many ways, it mirrors the rose. Thousands of unseen moments that come together to create something deeply meaningful. Not because of what each petal does individually…but because of what they become together.

A Gentle Disruption

So here is the invitation—and perhaps the disruption—for May. What if you stopped measuring your love by how much it costs you? What if belonging was not something you had to earn and what if sweetness—real, sustaining sweetness—did not come from pushing through… but from softening into connection? This may feel unfamiliar, even uncomfortable, but so does standing still in a season that is asking you to grow in a different direction.

The rose reminds us that something precious can come from many small parts.
The Lily of the Valley reminds us that presence does not need to be loud to be meaningful.

And nature, as always, offers us a quiet truth where nothing blooms alone. Not the rose, not the lily, and not you. It is about being rooted and connected.

Reflection

As you move through May with the focus of belonging, consider where in your life you are trying to earn belonging? And then what might shift if you allow yourself to simply receive it?

Written by Lisa Story, MSCP, LPC, CT
Founder of Hope Grows

At Hope Grows, we support those with multiple issues, including caregiving and grieving a loss. If you are struggling, reach out to connect. Call us at 412.369.4673 or email [email protected].

Focus of the Month: Belonging
Essential Oil: Rose
Flower: Lily of the Valley

Disclaimer: This site offers information designed for educational purposes only. You should not rely on any information on this site as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or as a substitute for professional counseling care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional.

In the Kitchen with Hope Grows: Spring Episode

Lisa Story on April 7, 2025

Hope Grows is excited to invite family caregivers and those experiencing a loss to our second broadcast of a 4-part seasonal webinar series designed to offer both practical cooking tips and emotional support during their caregiving journey.

“In the Kitchen with Hope Grows” will take place on Friday, May 9 from 12:30-1:30pm EST (9:30-10:30am PST), featuring a demonstration on growing your own herbs and using them in meals, paired with a discussion about the Iris Respite House Bed & Breakfast and the importance of “taking a break.”

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Herbed Quinoa Demonstration: Learn how to make this versatile, nutritious dish with Chef Barbie, while Hope Grows Horticulturist Jessica Giannotta gives a few tips on planting, growing, and harvesting your own herbs.
  • Iris Respite House & Healing Gardens: Hear from previous overnight guests about the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of spending a night at the Iris Respite House.
  • Q&A Opportunities: A Q&A session for participants to learn more about Hope Grows’ programs and services.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

This program is FREE and open to all! Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and leave with new tools and perspectives to help them thrive on their caregiving journey.

Moderated by Lisa Story, MSCP, LPC, CT, our Founder and Clinical Director, and Lisa Iadicicco, our Executive Director.

 

 

Rest, Relax, Restore

Lisa Story on January 6, 2023

The impact of providing care takes a toll on the mind, body, and spiritual wellness of the caregiver. The Hope Grows Care Model is about helping the caregiver to find ways to take time for self, which is the main reason the #ThinkCaregiver™ program and the Simple ‘Self-Care’ Suggestions, which are popular among those reaching out for support. We have heard from many caregivers that receiving a call instead of making a call is helpful. Caregivers tells us that even if I don’t answer, hearing the message is a reminder that someone is checking on me, it’s helpful and it reminds me to take time for self.

The theme this year is Rest, Relax and Restore; a well-fitting theme based on the opening of the Iris Respite House for overnight stays. We continue to encourage caregivers to take short breaks with our monthly focus that helps with regaining balance and change of perspective. The month of January was about creativity. We started the month talking about art therapy and the effective ways for caregivers to express their feelings and emotions, which can help reduce stress and increase feelings of relaxation. Creativity is a natural byproduct of the art-making process, and the act of creating can be very therapeutic in and of itself. Additionally, the focus and concentration required for art-making can be a helpful distraction from daily stressors, allowing caregivers to fully engage in the present moment.

Julia Cameron said, “creative expression is the voice of the soul.” During the month of January, I was glad to see snow outside my window. I had a hard time paying attention to my work, my eyes kept gazing to the beauty outside. I thought about all of the things I want to be creative with and I ponder about what is causing the lack of motivation to get started with something. I came to the realization that perhaps it has something to do with the thought that I need to have the best of everything in place to be successful. The best paints, materials and setting, to name a few. As always, my thoughts went to nature, the snow and how it was creatively hanging from the branches of the trees and bushes. It didn’t need the best branch of the tree, it fell where ever it wanted and painted a beautiful scene.

That is what I love most about nature, the therapeutic effects. There is no cost, the best comes from what our senses find, and then we create from the inspiration. A Danish creative professional’s study found that engaging with nature has a way of making us more curious, helps with flexibility in our thinking and it helps to recharge our directed thinking process. Curiosity, flexibility and focused thinking are the best of what can help us with creativity, also providing caregivers with an outlet for self-expression and self-discovery.

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic and Eat, Pray, Love, tells us that “Creativity itself doesn’t care at all about results – the only thing it craves is the process. Learn to love the process and let whatever happens next happen…” I believe if you engage in the process of different activities, you will reap ways to boost creativity and alleviate stress and burnout. Some ways to be creativity include:

• Take a break and engage in a creative hobby, such as painting, drawing, photography, or writing. These activities allow you to tap into your imagination and take your mind off of work or other stressors.

• Get some exercise. Physical activity has been shown to improve mood and reduce stress. Plus, being outdoors and surrounded by nature can provide inspiration for creativity.

• Practice mindfulness and meditation. These techniques can help you focus on the present moment and reduce rumination about the past or worrying about the future.

• Try brainstorming and idea generation techniques. One example is the “brainwriting” method, which involves writing down ideas on a piece of paper or computer, rather than verbally discussing them with a group. This can be useful when dealing with mental fatigue.

• Experiment with new surroundings or change in environment. Sometimes a change of scenery can spark new ideas and perspectives.

• Connect with people, try to surround yourself with supportive, positive and inspiring people. Inspiration can be contagious and you can get new perspective and idea from them.

• Play games! Playing games, whether it’s table-top games, video games, or mobile games, can be a fun way to relax and unwind. Plus, playing games can help improve problem-solving skills and creativity.

It’s important to remember that everyone is different, what works for one person may not work for another, so it’s a good idea to experiment with different methods and find what works best for you. Have fun and above all, enjoy the process. And try a little of bit of nature, too.