Nothing Has To Be Wasted

What happens when something painful does not become a gift, but also does not get to determine everything that comes next?

In this episode of The Healing Nexus, Lisa reflects on the difference between saying “nothing is wasted” and believing that nothing has to be wasted. She shares how losing her son Darren shaped the way she thinks about grief, choice, compassion, forgiveness, and the life that remained.

This is a conversation about alchemy—not as turning pain into something beautiful, but as learning to work with what is still in your hands without pretending the loss was necessary.

Meaning does not justify pain. Purpose does not make the loss worth it. But sometimes, even after devastation, choice still remains.