Our daughter is getting married soon, and like many parents, we’re filled with joy. After my stroke, so much of my identity shifted. I was no longer the same professional, the same partner, the same mother – the same version of myself I had known and grown for decades. Over time, I’ve built a new sense of who I am. But moments like this—big life transitions—have a way of reopening deep questions. Who am I now? What parts of me stayed the same? What parts of me had to change? And such joyous events also invariably bring on the dreaded “cycle of grief” I talk about a lot. At her wedding, I will not be the bride’s mom I always thought I would be throughout her childhood – the bride’s mom I would be if I hadn’t had a stroke. #StrokeOnward #SOCC #IdentityTheft Full reflection on SOCC: circle.strokeonward.org/c/survivors/watching-my-youngest-prepare-to-get-married-is-evoking-joy-grief-and-lots-of-identity-questions-for-me