Losing A Loved One
“Acceptance is the answer to all my problems.” My close friends said that to me when my husband died. He did not die from cancer (I am the cancer patient), but he did die from long term medical problems. Many of my friends said “you knew it was coming”. And they told me that I would feel better, day by day. None of this was true. None of it was ‘acceptable’ to me.I went through stages of anger, sadness, loneliness, fear, and a desire to die myself. It took a very long time to feel even a little better. And a much longer time to find some normalcy in my life again. Some people told me it would take me one year. It took me 5+!
So, one thing I learned was that each person is different, each loss is different, and each grief process is different. The one thing I can tell you is to expect the unexpected and to not listen to other’s judgments about what you should, or should not, be feeling, thinking, doing. Be patient and caring with yourself.
Take Care, Sharon www.rare-cancer.org