Meri Brown is reflecting on a painful anniversary. The 53-year-old Sister Wives star took to Instagram, sharing a split image of herself and her late mom, Bonnie Ahlstrom, and herself and Garrison Brown — the late son of Meri’s ex, Kody Brown, and her former sister wife, Janelle Brown. Garrison died by suicide earlier this month.
“Today, March 26, marks 3 years since the passing of my beautiful mom, and 3 weeks since the passing of our sweet Garrison,” Meri captioned the photo.
The TLC star then went on to discuss the “roller coaster” of grief, admitting that it’s hard to tell what stage of the grieving process you’ll be in moving forward.
“I’ve had my share of loss, both through death and the endings of relationships, and each loss is individual and has a unique timeline of manageability,” Meri shared.
Garrison Brown, Janelle Brown, and Savanah Brown – TLC
After years of estrangement, Meri officially terminated her marriage to Kody in early 2023. She went public with her first post-Kody relationship with a man named Amos in January, but the former couple called things off shortly after.
Meri also referenced the grief she’s experienced due to the deaths of loved ones in her life.
“Having lost to death both parents, three siblings, and now one of our boys, I recognize my coping mechanisms,” Meri shared. “I recognize when I need to go inward and be alone, letting the grief move through me as I cry alone into my pillow. I recognize when I need to surround myself with my trusted people to gather strength from them. I recognize when I need to attempt, in some small way, a semblance of normalcy. In each step, it takes a little bit of bravery to recognize and give that gift to myself.”
Acknowledging that life will never be the same after the loss of a loved one, Meri goes on to share her plan to honor those gone moving forward.
“For me, I will remember and celebrate the good times and beautiful memories. I will honor myself and feel the grief when it arises because it inevitably will,” she shared. “But most importantly, I will live, and I will love every day of that living!”
Garrison died earlier this month of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 25. In the wake of his death, Garrison’s family came together for a funeral service and many of them have honored him in their own online posts.
The Brown family has been estranged for years. Christine Brown left Kody in 2021, and Janelle followed suit in 2022. Meri was the last to make her exit in early 2023. Kody’s only remaining relationship is with wife Robyn Brown.
Kody is the father of 18 children from his multiple marriages. In recent years, he has become estranged from many of his older children. This was documented on the family’s reality show, specifically his tense relationship with Garrison and his brother, Gabriel Brown.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
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