The thing is with grief, there seems to be no pattern, rhyme or reason why or when it hits us.
In my experience, how we cope with different degrees of grief is dependant on the quality of support we have from those closest to us and how it defines us.
Even when we are silent in our grief, that doesn’t mean we’re ok. Sometimes we all need to lift our heads, look around and ask our friends if they’re ok, because often what people portray on the outside isn’t always what they’re feeling.
As most of us recognise, grief doesn’t get any easier to cope with as we get older. It hurts like hell and ties you up in all sorts of pain, but as I get older I realise even more that it also moulds us as people. Most people associate grief with the passing of a loved one, but I believe grief comes in all shapes and forms and can also be the pain that is associated with saying goodbye or letting go.
Most people expect that your first experience with losing a loved one would be with your grandparents, but for some families, this cycle of life is not as expected and they lose someone with their whole life ahead of them.
In the past few weeks, I’ve been reminded again that losing someone at whatever age doesn’t get any easier, and I have no better understanding why people are taken from us too soon. To lose a dear friend as a child is a very difficult thing to be able to put into words and at that age, no one can begin to help you understand why it’s happened and why life can seem so cruel. I wish that I could say there was some learning or great epiphany, but sadly for me, there isn’t. The only thing I would say is that it has made me very thankful to have such great friends/family, who I can lean on in the times of need.
I’d like to dedicate this post to special friendships…… where would we all be without them!?
