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Aug 17, 2026 10 min

A mother's love

from Thrivve: Retirement Reinvented Hosted by THRIVVE

Some grief is visible. Other grief is carried quietly for alifetime. In Season 4, Episode 21 of Thrivve, Riëtte shares the deeplymoving true story of Sue—a mother whose love endured separation, unansweredquestions and heartbreaking loss. Sue became pregnant when she was very young, during a timewhen unmarried mothers were often given little control over the decisionsaffecting their lives. After giving birth, she was not allowed to hold her sonbefore he was placed for adoption. She left the hospital with empty arms—but never with anempty heart. Every year on his birthday, Sue lit a candle. She imaginedhis face, wondered who he was becoming and held onto the hope that when heturned eighteen, they might finally meet. Then the long-awaited letter arrived. Instead of bringing news of a reunion, it revealed that herson had drowned many years earlier. In a single moment, Sue lost not only herchild, but also the future she had imagined for eighteen years. This heartfelt episode explores silent and disenfranchisedgrief—the kind of loss that others may not fully recognise or understand. Italso explores guilt, regret, self-forgiveness and what healing can mean whenthere was no reunion, no closure and no opportunity to say goodbye. Sue’s story reminds us that grief is not measured by thetime we spent with someone. It is measured by love. If you have lost a child, parent, partner, friend,relationship or the future you once imagined, this episode is for you. Your grief is real. Your love is real. Your healing matters. Because love does not end with loss. Sometimes, it simplychanges the way it lives within us. Read the full article: https://www.thrivve60.com/when-love-outlives-loss-a-story-about-a-mother/ Follow Thrivve on Spotify and share this episode withsomeone who may need to hear that they are not alone.

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A mother's love

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This episode is 10 minutes long.

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This episode was published on August 17, 2026.

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