I’m Briana…
Thank you for visiting My Second Half Self! I want to introduce myself, and my intentions in this space…
I am a wife, a GIRL mom, a BOY mom, an adopted daughter, an older sister, a younger sister, a best friend, an acquaintance, and a human being. I have made great things happen, and I have made mistakes. I love deeply and fiercely, because I know how quickly and tragically life happens. I am built on loyalty and honesty, gratefully so.
I am also a mom who has suffered the unthinkable tragedy of losing a child. My son, Will, was only 19 years old when he lost his life in a tragic car crash.
I, like many others, have struggled with getting out of bed, eating healthily, managing my anxieties and emotions, making good choices, as well as ensuring that my husband and daughter do not see my suffering more than they need to.
I am living day to day with intrusive thoughts and feelings that no one should ever have to feel. I have never been able to hide my feelings or thoughts very well as they show on my face and in my eyes.
My Second Half Self is going to help me with coping with my loss and grief. It is going to be my outlet to help me thrive as I move forward into the rest of my life, and hopefully I’ll stop “just trying to survive”.
I am awful at asking for help. Because that would force me to accept that I can’t do it all on my own. I am waiving the white flag to grief and instead I am going to use My Second Half Self as my own resource to hopefully bridge the gaps between those of us who understand it, and those who don’t understand but want to help. For them to learn and appreciate that we all suffer from differences that we can not always verbalize.
I hope this helps all of us come to common places, and realize that we are not alone. We just need to seek our help from others who have endured tragedies, bad experiences, and much much more.
Thank you for reading.
Here we go….
XOXO,
Briana Hardy
I chose to introduce My Second Half Self in memoriam and in dedication to my Dad.
Without him, I would not have the strength, courage, self-esteem or assertiveness to produce something like this. Without my Dad, I would not be able to carry on with life as I know it now. My dad chose to become a father at a very young age, 21. All my life, my dad was my best friend. He was the most loving, caring, funny, real, human I have ever known. I measure and judge all people I meet up against him. Not just males, but females too.
He was honorable, no nonsense, honest, straight forward, understanding, and a real leader and teacher. He was charming, flirtatious, good looking, and all the ladies loved him. While all the husbands knew that their wives, girlfriends, and children were safe with him. He was a protector. And he protected me against myself my whole life. I know he was proud of me everyday, because he told me so. I know he loved me, because that’s how we grew up, we all said, “I love you” all the time. Almost too much if you didn’t know us as a family. He loved all his siblings and would do anything for anyone that was in his circle. He had a way of carrying himself that I try to emulate on a daily basis.
I say he was because he passed away at too young an age. He had lung cancer, and he fought for his life to be here for us until the moment he took his last breath. I can still hear him fighting in those last minutes with us surrounding him holding his hands, legs, feet, arms. I remember us all being right next to him. All of our hands on him. I hope he knew it was us. I hope he felt all of our love holding onto him helping him move from this world to the next.
That is my hope for My Second Half Self. I want to connect as many of us together that are surviving and trying to figure out to thrive through our griefs and emotions. I want to make my Dad proud. I want to help all of us move through this world with understanding, grace, compassion, and a deeper understanding of what it is to live without the ones who mean the most to us.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for following. Thank you for supporting. It is noticed, and it is appreciated. Even if we don’t have to capability to say it out loud.
Happy Birthday Dad. I love you.
Jon Thomas Emerick
I love you.
Briana
Support Families Through the Martyred Angels Foundation
Losing a child is an unimaginable pain, and no family should have to navigate that journey alone. Martyred Angels Foundation is here to offer comfort, connection, and resources to those who need it most. Through community support, advocacy, and healing programs, we stand beside grieving families, helping them find strength in the love that remains.
If you're looking for support, you don’t have to do this alone. Whether you need resources, someone to listen, or a place where your child’s name is always welcome—they are here.
Learn more, get involved, and help us honor the lives of our angels.
Hollow, silent, tearful, nauseous, nervous, complete and total decimation of all feelings inside my soul. Who can help me cope with that? No one. Grief and grieving are individual gauntlets, and in those moments I didn’t want to live through anymore gauntlets. Especially not this one.