Grief... something we all go through in life. It comes when you least expect it, even when you may know it is coming.
I have personally experienced both, unexpected death with no chance for goodbye as well as long days & nights of waiting in an ICU for the inevitable. Neither is preferred but both carry an immense pressure on our hearts.
That ache is always there although with time it eases enough for you to breathe and just when you exhale you are abruptly brought back to that special someone you lost by hearing a song in a department store, or the smell of your father’s aftershave that he once wore. It could have been the sound of a stranger’s voice on the street that sounds a bit like Louis Armstrong but also like your grandfather. Maybe it was two girls you saw laughing at a bookstore that knew full in well that they should not be so loud, but they can't help themselves and all you can do is smile because it reminds you of the mischief you and your best friend once had. Or perhaps, it seems to always be 3:28 when you look at the clock and that is the day your special person left this earth.
Whatever your story is or whoever you lost, it affects you and only you in a way that sometimes is not easy to convey nor necessary to explain. However, you must remember that you are not alone, not during the holidays... not ever. These emotions can be BIG, sometimes too big for one heart to handle. If that is the case for you, make sure you find someone to talk to. Not so they can relate but so they can listen and take some of that burden off your heavy heart...just enough to allow you to take that deep breath.
If you're reading this and you know what I mean by what I said above... do it now. Take a deep breath. Now take another and keep in mind this is our temporary home, no matter what you believe in, this is only a speck in time and for better or for worse we must enjoy the time we do have. I personally, will do just that and look forward to being reunited with all those who left before us.
With a heavy heart, I dedicate my post tonight to my Aunt Sheila who we lost yesterday.
With love,
Your favourite niece, Lauren – the funny one 😉
“ Life tossed us up into the air, scattered us, and we all somehow found our way back. And we will do it again. And again.”
https://thepsychologygroup.com/how-to-cope-with-grief-during-the-holidays/