You nailed it.
They are the pillars of our lives, our guiding lights, and our constants. The first stage of grief often brings shock, disbelief, and a sense of being adrift in an unfamiliar world.
And, yes yes yes, grief "manifests differently in each individual."
My parents are still here (but close to the end) - hanging in there, even though they have buried three daughters. Seeing my dad looking frail and weak and confused is (dare I say traumatic?) - the pillar of strength, the giant of a man who loomed over me in childhood, is now drifting away. Mom is tired. She never used to fall asleep during the day... her carotid artery is blocked... she may refuse to undergo treatment....
I'm still working on this: "Through self-care, support, and the passage of time, we can navigate the waves of grief and emerge with a renewed sense of purpose and resilience."
Time does not ease the pain - it only builds scar tissue, as Rose Kennedy once said.
Thank you for this post.
Thank you for stopping by! Witnessing the process of aging and frailty of our pillars of strength, is a difficult thing, especially when you are unable to ease their pains. It gets even worse when you live on a different continent and you are not there at all!
LOL
Facebook Sharing this post, I got all these condolences on the loss of my mom.
People really do no read very closely. (I'm guilty of this, too.)
Note to self: SPELL IT OUT very clearly that I am SHARING a post -- that I did not write it!!!
To be honest, I did consider the idea of sharing this post on my FB, but for exactly the same reasons described above, I decided not to do it. It's true, people do not take the time to read! Thanks for sharing your story!
Ohhh yes.
A continent away, an ocean between us...
Been There.
Death so often comes in threes. Surely, someone could prove this isn't so. Statistically.
Anecdotally, though, everyone I know will lose two more people within about a year of losing one person. So it seems.
My two sisters were gone within half a year of each other. Now one more year has passed. Dad is next in line but he has more staying power than anyone I know. He made it to his 89th birthday and still he goes on... which has me worried for my mom... she cannot be next. No. No. No.
More than a year has passed, so let us lay to rest this idea that we must lose a third loved one to complete the demise of Lori + Kelly (two months after Lori's burial, Kelly was diagnosed with cancer; six months later she was dead) - DO NOT TAKE #3, whoever #3 may be -
Let us cheat the grim reaper, let us hold onto our loved ones.