When a Young Star Falls: A Recipe for Grief, Remembrance, and Community Healing

---

💔 Ingredient 3: Permission to Feel Everything

Grief is not linear.

It may include:

• Anger

• Confusion

• Guilt

• Fear

• Sadness

• Numbness

Young teammates may feel particularly shaken:
“If it happened to her, could it happen to me?”

Adults must provide emotional steadiness without suppressing feelings.

Statements like:

• “Be strong.”

• “Don’t cry.”

• “She wouldn’t want you upset.”

can unintentionally invalidate grief.

Instead:
“It’s okay to feel whatever you’re feeling.”