Beginnings can carry grief without losing their right to feel hopeful.

New things often start because something else ended. A move, a job, a marriage, a birth: each of them sits on top of something given up, sometimes gladly and sometimes not at all. People try to pick one feeling and be consistent, and the effort of that is usually harder than the mixture itself. There is no rule saying a beginning has to be uncomplicated to count as a good one.

If you are starting something while still carrying a loss, let both be true and do not apologise for either. Say the sad part to one person who can hear it, and let the hopeful part stay hopeful.