A person writes in a lined notebook with a orange pen, with a cup of tea or coffee, and a patterned black and white bandana on the table.

Amy E. Butterworth

Tracing the threads that connect us

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Meet Amy

Amy E. Butterworth is a mother and writer whose work explores the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of love that reaches beyond death.

After her daughter died, writing became both refuge and reflection—a way to make sense of the unimaginable while remaining open to wonder. Her work considers how sorrow and beauty coexist, how meaning is shaped in the wake of death, and how the stories we tell help us endure, heal, and find our way forward. 

Amy lives in Massachusetts with her husband and their two living children.

Where These Threads Began
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    Instagram

    for glimpses of everyday life behind the stories

    @amybutter

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    Blog

    for short stories of love, loss, and everything in between

    read here

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    Bluesky

    for unfiltered thoughts about reading and writing

    @amyebutterworth

My Body Exonerated

What began as a journal entry became my first-place submission in the Unsealed Writing Challenge. A reflection on the birth and death of our daughter, and the enduring impact she has had on my relationship with my body.

What began as a journal entry became my first-place submission in the Unsealed Writing Challenge. A reflection on the birth and death of our daughter, and the enduring impact she has had on my relationship with my body.

Read My Body Exonerated

The Essay

The Conversation

In this Unsealed Conversations podcast, I talk with host Lauren Brill about Cindy Sue’s birth and death, what came after, and the ways her life continues to shape mine.


Listen to the Conversation

Unexpectedly, the hardest part came when our ten-year-old son asked to read the essay about my body. A video reflection on what it means to share the truths we usually keep private —and to let the people we love read them.

Read The Hardest Reader

The Reflection

A woman with blonde and brown wavy hair, wearing a light blue shirt, sitting at a dark wooden table with a silver Dell laptop, a white mug, a notebook, and a pen, in front of a floral wallpaper background.

“Grief has run through my life like thread through fabric: at times gossamer, thin and barely there, other times weaving, thick, clumsy, darns across the rips.” — Clare Mackintosh, I promise It Won’t Always Hurt Like This

“If life is just a passage, then in this passage we should at least plant flowers.” — Valerie Perrin,  Freshwater for Flowers

“The colors of the sky are the same when the sun rises as when it disappears.” — Nina Riggs, The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying

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Walking with Grief

Support and Practices

Two hands holding a textured, round stone or clay object with a carved star design on it. The background is blurred.

  • When grief is at its heaviest, we do not have to walk alone. Find support through trusted communities and resources.

  • We do not move on from grief—we learn to move with it. Discover connections and practices for living alongside grief as it shifts, changes, and becomes woven into everyday life.

    • What’s Your Grief
      A thoughtful collection of grief resources, articles, and exercises exploring the many ways grief shows up and changes over time.

    • Modern Loss
      A space for honest conversations, personal stories, and resources that explore life after death with compassion, humor, and humanity.

    • The Dinner Party
      A community-centered resource focused on connection and conversation for people navigating life after the death of someone they love.

    • Camp Kita
      A tuition free summer bereavement camp open to children 8-17 who are survivors of a loved one's suicide

    Creative and Reflective Practices

    Healing does not mean forgetting. Find comfort in continuing your relationship with those who have died through memories, rituals, traditions, and moments of connection. These practices can help honor love while making space for life to continue.

    • Creating rituals for birthdays, anniversaries, and meaningful dates

    • Writing letters to someone who has died

    • Preserving memories through photographs, keepsakes, and stories

    • Sharing stories and saying their name

    • Exploring signs, symbols, and moments of connection

    • Journaling and grief writing prompts

    • Art, photography, music, and other creative expressions

    • Time in nature as a place for reflection and connection

  • Healing does not mean forgetting. Find comfort in continuing your relationship with those who have died through memories, rituals, traditions, and moments of connection. These practices can help honor love while making space for life to continue.

    • Creating rituals for birthdays, anniversaries, and meaningful dates

    • Writing letters to someone who has died

    • Preserving memories through photographs, keepsakes, and stories

    • Sharing stories and saying their name

    • Exploring signs, symbols, and moments of connection

    • Journaling and grief writing prompts

    • Art, photography, music, and other creative expressions

    • Time in nature as a place for reflection and connection

  • Grief often brings us into deeper questions about life, death, love, and meaning. Explore spiritual practices that encourage reflection, inner healing, and a greater connection to the unseen.

    Healing the Whole Self