Discover a sanctuary of perspectives, tools, and shared experiences written for people living with grief.
“A Gift…Only Borrowed” – By Kirk Spencer
While you can gain some comfort through your faith, you don’t always get answers to the questions you might be asking. Sometimes the answers you receive may not fit neatly into what you wanted to hear. Then again, maybe we are asking the wrong questions.
Margaret Kramar
May 10, 2020
It Could Never Happen to Me
I anxiously punched in the numbers on my telephone, anticipating the exciting news that my friend Jean had texted she wanted to share.
The coronavirus has brought into focus the recognition that our lives can change overnight. Our lives have been moving forward with work commitments, aspirations for our careers, and quality time with family and friends. We’ve tucked in exercise, vacations, and reunions. Our lives were rich with activity and purpose.
And then, everything changed almost overnight as we were told to leave our workplaces, hunker down at home, and distance ourselves from others if we have to go out of our homes. Our lives have been turned upside down.
Before we lost Brian we were a tight fun family. We were full of laughter, crazy moments, adventures, shared stories & a togetherness that could not be broken. The four of us were thick as thieves. Then our worst day happened & in a flash our family came crashing down. We were no longer what we once were. But I am here to tell you, your family can put the pieces back together again. Its not an easy road. You will be broken. You will make mistakes. The unhealed parts of you will unintentionally hurt the ones you love.
Holy Week - 2020
My baby girl passed away on the Monday, April 5th, 1982, right after Palm Sunday. Her death, funeral visitation, and burial happen during Holy Week.
Thirty-Eight years ago, I buried my youngest daughter, and I had zero input in that decision. She was snatched from me at a very young age by a heart condition that today is quickly fixed with surgery right after babies are born. Sadly, back in 1981, the technology had not been developed yet to help my baby.
Sitting here thinking about the state of the world right now, my boy, my blessings & these two!! Being my husband & stepdaughter has not been an easy task after losing Brian. But, they love me, support me & forgive me for the short comings I had as a wife & stepmom after we all lost him. That’s the true testament of family, isn’t it? It’s not only being there when you’re spot on as mom, wife & stepmom, which I always took great pride in. It’s being there when things fall apart. Crash all the way down.
Skin Hunger Can Be a By-Product of Widowhood. It's not often discussed, but it's true. One of the nicest benefits of an intimate relationship is the physical contact that comes with them. While that includes sexual contact, that's not what I'm talking about here. Maybe a topic for another day. No, what I mean is the ordinary touches and connections that are an integral part of close family and housemate relationships.
FROM THE GRIEVING HEART:
I feel frozen. Stuck. Paralyzed.
The world is moving, but I’m not. I’m going through the motions. I walk in a daze. I find myself staring at walls.
I can’t move. It’s like my heart has been anesthetized.
