You are not alone

As I was told early on once I lost my husband, not many people will understand such a loss unless they have had experienced it first hand.

We will continue this journey together, and I will be here with you through it. I am sure you as I have heard a million hallmark expressions when you lost your person. Dozens of analogies and people trying to connect when it just seems like the last priority on your list. The best way I have found someone describe grief to me was not a therapist.. go figure.. It was from a fellow widow. Life with our person is like walking through the forest on a beaten path, with a route plotted out and a destination set and all the stops along the way planned. When you lose your person you lose the path, the destination, the stops, your guide and all maps. The trail is gone and the sun is gone. You are left alone in the woods with no concept of where to go and how to get there. This analogy felt the closest to me other than some boat on the ocean. As it truly felt like the being alone in the woods with no path anymore, no idea of where I am going or how to get there or even why I keep going. But the rest of the analogy is that even in the darkest parts of the woods we must keep walking, it doesn’t matter that we know where we are going yet, somewhere along the walk we will find a path or a road again, and we will find friends or family who are echoing in the distance to keep going. Although not many people may understand your walk, a few of us do. We understand. I understand. The path may be gone, the forest may be dark, but you will find a clearing and you will breathe again. Just keep fighting. A great friend would always say to me “I will not let you fall.” Indeed he never did, the persistent compassion I was shown by a select few people, is why I am here able to write this now, and still fighting today. Now it’s my turn to support those walking this path as well.