grief

Losing a family member is one of the most traumatic life events; Families must support one another to endure the five stages of grief and get through it together.

Purgatory
I've never been the sharing type. Not openly to people anyway, not unless they blatantly ask. It's not my style to be so bold. (See previous post on bottling up emotions :'D ) I like to write. Put pen to paper and get my thoughts out on the table for me to finally make sense of. In the absence of real privacy, I like to tap away at my laptop's keys and vent. I can save and change things then, and come back to them when I can think of a way to say what I mean. I don't like to delete and rewrite stuff I've already saved though, then I feel like I'm betraying the feelings I had in those moments. They were raw and real, and needed saying.
By Louisa Jane6 years ago in Families
Dear Dad
Dear Dad, I’ll never forget the look in my mother’s eyes as you beat me up with words when you drunkingly harassed me at night. I’ll never forget the look in her eyes if I didn’t do as I was told, if I didn’t address you as sir, if I didn’t have the right attitude, as you beat me with your hands. The same hands that helped me onto your shoulders when I was too tired to walk. The same hands that held me at night when I was too scared from a nightmare or scary movie I’d watched earlier that day to fall asleep. The same hands that clapped for me while I competed in a cheerleading competition. The same hands that carried me inside when I wrecked my bike and scraped my knees to the bone. The same hands that touched my sisters and brothers bodies the same way you did mine.
By Jaydie Osteen6 years ago in Families
Letter to an Angel
We experience many forms of loss in our lives. Loss of relationships, loss of time, and loss of loved ones. Loss is not easy. But it is a necessary part of our lives.
By Laura Tran6 years ago in Families
I Didn't Believe in God
When I was younger, I remember, I didn’t believe in God. I remember repeating what my father had once told me in a rare moment of genuine sharing. My cousin died and my Dad sat alone on the swing in our backyard. I had never seen him not engaged in some activity, whether it was chopping wood, or raking leaves, or digging a ditch. He was always working. On this day he was on the swing, not swinging just sitting. I was young, but not too young. My mother had just approached me as I walked in the house, and told me my cousin had been in a fatal accident. Unable to understand, I asked if he was ok, and she said, no, he died. I walked through the garage into the green shady vast green expanse of the back yard and saw my father. I walked up to him, he was crying.
By MJ Dunn6 years ago in Families
Alone: Losing Both Parents at 25
I was just 25 years old when I lost both of my parents. My father was always the sick one. He was diagnosed with cancer when I was around 14 years old. I vividly remember the day he and my mom sat my brother and I down to tell us the news at the dinner table. It was the first time I ever saw my parents cry. I remember getting up from the table to get a box of tissues and offer it to each member of my family, as they tearfully explained what was ahead. Radiation, chemotherapy, prognosis—all of these words that at the time I had no idea what they meant. All I knew was that my dad may lose his life soon.
By Veronica Thor6 years ago in Families
Cousin Natalie: Yes We Will Save Your Seat!
Play SAVE YOUR SEAT on Sound Cloud. Natalie was only 65 years old when she passed away from esophageal cancer in the summer of 2017. She was my first cousin, my father’s younger brother’s eldest daughter. For an entire year, I hadn’t heard from Natalie and found it odd every time I called, I got her voicemail and she never returned my calls. A few months before she passed away, I attended a cousin’s reunion and her younger sister Arlene, told me that she wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t make it. In the back of my mind, I knew something was wrong.
By Lewis Papier6 years ago in Families
Living After the Death of a Loved One
Almost 14 years ago, we got married in New Orleans. It was four days before Hurricane Katrina came through and we ended up losing everything. But we fought through it and managed to come out on top. Little did we know that in 201,5 she would have been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of uterine cancer that would change our life completely.
By Mike Cunningham6 years ago in Families
I Saw You Today
I thought I saw you sitting there on the bench inside the airport. I was rushing to get put my shoes back on, my coat, make sure everything was in place after going through the Security checkpoint. I look up and there you were sitting with two little kids on each side of you. I could barely breathe, my eyes filled with tears as you turned towards me laughing except it wasn't you.
By Jen Lyon6 years ago in Families
Diagnosis - Grief
Grief is an entirely complex and unique illness. And I call it an illness because I've never felt more ill in my entire life. Suffering from grief is the most pain I believe anyone can ever feel.
By Charisse Lana6 years ago in Families
How a Kia Soul Restored Pieces of My Missing Soul
Did I tell you that 18 months ago I had a stroke? I was very lucky, I had no long lasting effects, as I walked out of the hospital able to move freely and talk. But the stroke did leave a long lasting scar, as it terrified the rubbish out of my immediate family and when I returned home, they began to act as if I was an invalid. They did not want me to drive or resume my independence as it was before my stroke. Yet they went on living their lives without me. I sat recuperating on the couch with various magazines and the television clicker, very lonely and frustrated. I became depressed with a lot of anxiety, which was being treated with various antidepressants along with my blood thinners and medications to treat the stroke.
By Debbie Lewis6 years ago in Families
Brainstorms (Literally)
I fight with whether writing about this is distasteful, but that’s just a storm in my brain, and I have to at least try to weather this storm.
By Lucinda Koza7 years ago in Families
Travel as Therapy
Traveling has always been part of my life, and as I sit on a plane headed back to Virginia, a few thoughts float through my head. Zakaria and I are next to each other while Leena and Aamir are at the back of the plane. I used to insist on being in the middle of Hadi and Zakaria. I now look over at Zakaria watching Star Wars, and it occurs to me that, while I miss all the bizarre conversations my sons had, particularly on family trips, I know Hadi made his presence known while we were in Cancun. Whether it was the beautiful yellow bird that consistently greeted us, or our salesperson having a twin brother, there was no way Hadi wasn’t being thought of at some point. Also, as an aside, our salesperson’s name was Esteban, and I am surprised Zakaria didn’t mention anything about crayons in front of him. ;)
By Saira Sufi7 years ago in Families