Grieving
 

My sister, JoAnn, died this past year. It has taken my breath away. I know that others who have experienced death of a loved one also know this feeling. It is a feeling that will never heal.

I thought it would be a good idea to share our thoughts and feelings. It is a safe place.

Namaste,
Andrew

Last Night...
 

I lost my mom last year and I still get that get that instant response to call her when I something comes up... it's hard and it takes a lot of time I think... but I'm getting to a point where good memories don't make me feel so sad if that makes sense...

Anyway, I just wanted to say I'm really sorry for your loss Andrew, and let you know you're not alone.

Metro

Metro,

Thanks. :)

Death is so very strange imho. My younger brother killed himself when I was just 15 yo. Now, that feels like eons ago. And my sister, that feels like yesterday. These losses just never heal. I know it is a new reality after someone dies because life goes on. But like you said, you reach for the phone to call and then the reality of their death just hits you once again.

But I go on. One foot in front of the other, thanking God for what I have, and not for what I want or need. It gives me peace of mind.

We lost one of our babies today...

Mr. Diago Luigo, faithful patroller of the neighborhood, grand killer of anything that didn't move fast enough.. (If he didn't kill it, then he tried to have his way with it.. (Causing a rift between himself and his brother that was never mended.))had a massive heart attack today on the way to the vets...He was diagnosed with heart issues four months ago.. It was a terminal prognosis... The vet was suprised that he had lived four and a half years.. Apparently the life expectancy is around two years...

The last couple days he had been breathing hard.. He was still eating, still doing his... I want to go outside!!!!!!! dance.. but even when he was laying still, you could see how hard it was for him to breath..

I knew he was winding down.. You could see it in him... He has spent a lot of time the last week out on the patio in one of my captain chairs.. All day long sleeping in the sun... Thank you universe for this beautiful harvest fall.. It was perfect for him... He would start to go do his *patrol* and then just sit down and feel the air and the sun... Last night, we were sitting out on the patio and he was sitting on the grass smelling the air... Just being perfectly still with his nose up... Then he did a lil half jump and a lil pounce on some leaves and he cantered into the house...

Last night he came and got into bed with Michele.. It's not something that he has ever done.. He was the kind of cat that wanted to be at the foot of the bed, or under it... But last night, he got into bed with her and cuddled up for the longest time.. I didn't know it at the time, but she whispered to him that it was ok for him to go if he wanted to.. She told him that she loved him and he was a good boy...

This morning she told him that she loved him and said goodbye..

Both Michele and the vet wanted him to get into the clinic asap, so I left work early and took him in... The 10 min car ride was too much for him... He had a massive infarction about three min from the clinic.. They grabbed him and took him into the back, but he didn't respond and slipped away... I keep thinking.. I should have went and got Michele's car.. it smelled like her.. I should have cleaned out the cat carrier so it didn't smell like my cats...

But truth be told.. I know that it is better that it was over so fast.. His lungs were filling up.. That's why he couldn't breath... A quick death over a lingering one...

The vet was amazed at his condition.. The fact that he had lived so long with his heart walls as thick as they were.. That he was still active and eating..

Mr. Diego Luigo.. you were a pain in my ass.. Bossy, Demanding, leaving disembowel rabbits for your mother to clean up... Trying to prove that you didn't need no stinking balls to prove your cat hood.. (I saw you looking at my bag!!!) you had fishhooks because you wouldn't let anyone touch your killing claws... Your lil monkey tux face... you did look like a lil monkey.. You didn't know the meaning of the word.. NO.. Come here!@!!.. get down... Leave her alone!!! You would cross a busy street staring down cars as you sauntered across at your leisure... Giving your mother a heart attack... Neither rain, nor sleet, nor busy streets would keep you from your self appointed patrol...

You had the sweetest purr, and the way that you DEMANDED to be held and petted... You were the wild child that I couldn't help but love.. You had that same feeling of freedom about you that your mother carries..

You went out on your own terms... You didn't want to be in that carrier.. you didn't want to go to the vet.. you picked the time...

Big boy.. you will be missed so very much... But the way that I think about it.. You have your balls back, and an unlimited supply of rabbits to hunt...

Our sadness is a fair trade off...

Ms Cyn,

I am so very sorry for your loss. It is such a heartbreak. I hope it is helpful to think about Rainbow Bridge. A place where our furkids go to play in the sunshine, with plenty of food, water, treats, and without any pain.

Animals are just as much a part of our family as any human is. They entertain us, and add enjoyment to our lives. For me, being disabled, animals are my companions.

I wish you and your family peace in your hearts.

Namaste,
Andrew

My Diego passed away on friday and will always be missed but he is not suffering anymore and i believe he is in a better place

love you forever my beloved tuxedo boy

Aye Diva so true and wise.....ty for your thoughts

4 Queens and Urns
 

Grieving, what a good thread Andrew, thank you..Many of us don't ever talk about things.

Mr. Diago Luigo, Diego :blues: Sniff., Condolences for your loss of loved ones to all the family and friends here. and (((((DIVA)))))

Time makes it easier, but that stabbing teary eyed thing comes back on those memorial birth and death dates and UUGGHHHH the holidays. My Mom died Nov.2, 1990, and I still miss her. Thanksgiving dinner will never be the same with our her describing how to stuff a turkey :shocking:, and us dashing out for the after Turkey day sales that started at midnight.

November is sometimes a bad month for me. My brother committed sucide at 16 the day before Thanksgiving1998, and my dad died the next year, the day after Thanksgiving.I was estranged from my dad's side of the family, but miss what should have been.

My Mom loved Vegas. I had her ashes sprinked at sea off Balboa Island just south of me. Sherrie said to me one day, hey , let's go down to the shore and "scoop up some of Mom's ashes" and take her with us to Vegas. We did just that, and as we walked through her favorite casino, the 4 Queens with a water bottle 1/2 full of sand , i dribbled some hear and there, looking for her favorite slot machine, then in the alley-->where , never mind.

First time I could memorialize her in any way, and, and I thank my girl so much.

November is a month of remembrance for me.

I celebrated the memory of my baby sister this last week. Lost from my sight 13 years ago. I spent much time thinking of her, remembering her and loving her. While I may not see her by my side anymore, she is always visible in my thoughts. She brings me comfort now, after so many years. The tears of loss I shed now are so wonderfully tainted with love and remembrance. So many good things that she brought to my life and to the life of so many others. Never in this world have I found a more vivid example of selflessness and unconditional love. Taken so early from this world, at the tender age of 12 she managed to make an unmistakable difference in the lives of others. Her bright soul reached out to everyone around her; encouraging hope, happiness, friendship, and kindness. At her funeral, so many of her classmates were present, leaving flowers, stuffed animals, bracelets, and notes in her casket, that we had to push them to her feet to see her face. I dearly hope that I may be just a little like her in my interactions with others.

I also remember my uncle this month, killed by a drunk driver on a dark canyon road 5 years ago. This man, my mothers brother, taught me something that I will never forget. He taught me the joy of unconditional love. He married a woman whom he loved more than anything in this world, and not once in all the years of their marriage did that love ever waiver even a fraction. When she suffered from sever postpartum depression, he would come home on lunch breaks to make sure that the babies were cared for because he knew that she couldn't. When his children were grown, and disagreed with their mother, he set them straight, telling them that she would always be held first in his heart and they would respect her or they would not be welcome in her home. As a child he singled me out. Did things with me that my own father never did. Took me fishing... that was our special thing. One fishing trip my aunt came along. As we set quietly waiting for the tug on our poles, he leaned over and whispered in my ear "I always catch more when shes here. The fish come up to see how beautiful she is." It is my deepest wish that someday, someone will love me how he loved my aunt. If i were to find that, I would have found the greatest gift in all the world.

Mitmo01,

I am so very sorry for your loss. :gimmehug:

Tommi,

I remember talking with you about your Mom & Vegas. And we both are survivors of each of our brother's suicide's. When we thought we would never survive...we have, and did with grace, honor, and style. :gimmehug:

JustLovelyJenn,

Words are just escaping me now. Just know that I understand. Our loved ones are in our hearts, minds, and souls. :gimmehug:

Peace to all,
Andrew

Diva,

I have no idea of how you survived that devisitation. Thanks for your advice. Your daughter was beautiful.

Namaste,
Andrew

Andrew have you read Elizabeth Kubler Ross?
If not, her books on death grieving may helpful in your grieving process.

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As for myself, I welcome death as my sweet repose.

Ol'Jet,

No, I am not a reader. Thanks for the tip though.

I went to a support group called Grief Share, which I would recommend. Grief Share is a national organization. I had to stop going before my sister actually died. I started going 6 months prior to her death. It was too much for me to handle with everything going on...:bigcry:

Thanks for sharing your story here. Grief comes in waves. Some days are flat, some are rocky, and some are like the waves crashing onto the beach. It is a new norm.

Holidays...for us, we have to create new rituals and new routines to do because of my sister's children. Last year the boys came unglued when we pulled out her ornaments. And she was known for making certain cookies for them. Well, we still have no clue what to do with that one. For us, making a new routine has worked well.

But in reality, you never get over the loss of your loved one. I know I will never get over JoAnn. Never. I am glad to have shared her with a few of you online at CaringBridge. Her husband took it down now.

Life is so short. :bouquet:

Tomorrow it will be a month since my father passed. I keep thinking I have these emotions under control until all of a sudden it blind sides me, I was re-caulking my bathtub and talking to my boi about how we need to replace several tile on the wall and did hy know how to do that? I said oh its ok honey I will just call my dad... Insert full blow meltdown here while sitting in the bathtub.

I understand that talking really does help and crying is normal and even anger is not unusual, but I don't think I can deal with these complete meltdowns much more.


I too have a brother who commited suicide when I was a teen. It was over half my lifetime ago and it still at times feels so fresh and raw even though I have really processed and worked through those emotions. I miss him and can't help but wonder what kind of man he would be, what kind of relationship would we have and how much fun we would have had picking on the folks.
Everyone here who has shared their personal losses very sincerely have my condolences and :gimmehug: I understand.

my mom passed on the 2nd. i've been staying with her, caring for her for the last two years. i feel kinda shellshocked. there's been enough stuff to keep me busy, with funeral arrangements, planning the wake, tying up the loose ends of a life completed.

in some ways, i feel kind of numb around it all. i don't cry much now. quite a bit the first day or so. all us kids were with her when she passed. i don't mind if i never watch another person die. it was fucking hard.

i keep wondering when the big emotional dump will come. anyone?

I have dealt with death of friends, family, and loved ones more han a couple of times. It's just different each time.

I think losing my grandmother was the hardest because of my family of origin I was closest to her and for the last few years of her life I was responsible for her. I wanted her suffering to be over ... but there is still an emptiness in my life knowing I can never talk to her again.... on the other hand I do try to think back on all the small kindnesses and acts of thoughtfulness and love she showed me over the years..... and while there is sadness there is also joy.

Hey again, little man...

I don't recall how long it was after my mother has passed........maybe a couple of months??? Not sure. But I can remember as if it just happened today...

I was driving. I had just gotten off the freeway and was rounding a curve on the access road. Out of the blue, my eyes welled up with tears and my chest felt as if it would explode. I had to pull over, and I just lost it.

That wasn't the last time it happened either.

When it hit me, it hit me hard.

I wish you peace.

Miss J,

I am so sorry for your loss of your father. I will be praying for you and your family.

Little Man,

I'm sorry for your loss of your mother. I am not sure of the big cry. For me it is personal, and when it happens it happens. I just go with how I feel. It can happen any time of the day or night. It will just hit you. And it hits hard.

I will be praying for you.


When my sister died, it was more of a build up to her death because I was there with her thru her treatments. I was there for her surgeries, and her treatments. And when she made her final arrangements, I was there. It was so very sad, but a part of life. It is just so...final. I had the gift of time to prepare myself for her death. It's different compared to when my younger brother suicided.

I have a niece getting married, and she was very close to my sister. She wants to put her picture on the alter during the ceremony. I can understand this. However, the bride's mother has a problem with it. She wants this wedding to be just that. A beautiful ceremony. No reminders of the pain of loss. I am not sure of what to say or do. And I want nothing but the best for them. Life is hard enough than to have an argument over a picture on the alter.

thanks, everyone. i appreciate it. i suppose it'll happen in its own time, like most other things.

last year, my sister-in-law's oldest girl died of an accidental tylenol overdose at the age of 19. since we buried her, my sis-in-law goes regularly to the cemetery to visit. my brother tells me it seems to make her feel better, more at peace.

i did not attend my mother's visitation, memorial or burial. i have stopped at the cemetery once in the last two weeks.

so, here's my question:

do any of you visit the grave of your lost loved ones on a regular basis? if so, what do you get from that? if not, why not?

Little Man,

I had a niece who was stillborn on Christmas Day of last year, I still have not come to terms with it along with her mother, who is my best friend. I have visited her grave maybe once over a year, I do not get closure because I didn't get to formally say goodbye or even hold her, so I am still angry. My godmother passed away in June of 2008 and I was there for the funeral only, I still haven't come to terms with this either. I am not one who deals well with death, I may visit to talk to them and let them know I am sorry but the visiting mainly hashes up old feelings that I know I am not ready to cope with yet.

I saw the picture of your mom and you on the gallery, it broke my heart to know she had passed, the photo shows how much love y'all had for each other.

I do know in due time it does get easier and I pray you can find your answers from within in due time.

i was with my mom when she passed. all of us kids were. we had opportunity to talk with her beforehand, to say whatever needed to be said. i was able to hug her one last time, kiss her head when she was gone. i did see her at the funeral home when we took up flowers and pictures and her artwork. nothing. she wasn't there. i felt the same when i stopped off at the cemetery, nothing...she wasn't there.

i feel her more acutely when i'm driving, when i come home from work and she's not sitting at the table waiting for me. the house doesn't feel quite right without her here, but i suppose i'll get used to that eventually.

my family has always been a funeral-going, cemetery-visiting bunch. i just don't feel any connection at the cemetery. because of the way i was raised, i feel a little bad about not going up there. i don't see the point in being there, if she's not there and i can't even feel her there. jeez, i'm babbling, i think.

i think i'm just trying to find my own way to grieve this and still maintain some sort of spiritual connection to her. i think it may well come in the form of taking care of her roses and keeping her garden beds up. when i apply myself to the things she loved, i definitely feel connected and a part of her.

just trying to sort through this and be ok with what works for me.

thanks for sharing. much appreciated.

Will,

I go the cemetary of relatives 4 to 5 times a year. It depends on how I am feeling. I go for maybe a few minutes at a time. I place flowers or a wreath out at Christmastime. In going I have learned who has visitors and who does not. In turn, I make sure to bring extra flowers or whatever, to decorate other gravestones. I think it is the one place that all souls return too when loved ones are there. When I go, I clean off the gravestones with water because they are some sort of a brass material. The marble ones I use Windex on.

In doing this, it brings me joy. Some ppl are not comfortable in going because they are afraid or did not have a decent relationship with the deceased, or some other reason. Everyone is different. Grief is different for everyone, and how they respond to their loss. I know when my sister, JoAnn, died, last year, I am still grieving. Her 2 boys & husband are still grieving. Her mother is fine. It is like nothing ever happened. It makes no sense to me. But that is me.

I think you need to come to terms with your mom's death with your own time-table. You know what to do, when it is time. I think everyone does. :sadangel:

I wish for you peace.

Love,
Andrew

My mom died of unknown causes in 2000. being an only child we were best friends. i have yet to grieve her death.

Jet,

I am so very sorry for your loss. I understand.

Love,
Andrew

Possibly so, find your own way Wil.

And no problem in sharing, just know you are not alone.

Holidays are the worst when you are grieving. I know that last year it was a blurr. This year, we all are making a real concrete effort to make new traditions, and new rituals for JoAnn's 2 young boys. It is just a new reality for all of us. Sometimes you have to create a new reality because the loss is just so intense.

In my griefshare group, there was a young, single mother who lost her 12 yo daughter to some disease. I didn't know the entire story except that she was in the hospital for a very long time, and out of the blue she died unexpectedly. So, in order for the young, single mother to get thru the holidays, she and her parents go to Florida and spend Christmas laying out on the beach. No presents, no decorations, no Christmas tree is put up, just any sign of the holiday is ever even spoken about. For them as a family unit it just is how they can cope with the loss. The little girl just loved Christmas, and in turn, as a family they did everything possible to make Christmas special each year for her.
That is what I mean about changing reality.

I wish everyone peace. Holidays are hard. No comparison.

[QUOTE=Ol' Jet;6685][FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium][SIZE=3][COLOR=Red]Andrew have you read Elizabeth Kubler Ross? [COLOR=Red]

awesome recommendation! dr. wallace sife, Ph.D., worked with her, and wrote "the loss of a pet".

Belle,

I am not a big reader of any sorts. Unless it's a magazine or easy reading forget it. I struggle with the comprehension, what the words mean, and so on. I am actually more "verbal" online than in real time. In real time I am very quiet and shy.

I used to belong to the organization called "Readings for the Blind". They would take in high school and college students, and volunteers of any age really for that matter, to read books on tapes, cd's, and dvd's. It is for those who are blind, or learning disabled as I am. It makes it easier to listen to books instead of reading it for myself. That is why I rarely go to the library. However, as times have changed, the cost of belonging to this organization has gone up quite a bit. It used to be free. But those days are long gone. :rant:

Every time I go back to Missiouri,
I visit my grandmothers grave..

I sit a spell with her and tell her everything that's going on.. If it's a nice day I might lean back and get some sun for her..

For me.. it's the deliberate act of going there and remembering her.. Not that I need to be any place special to remember her.. (I can close my eyes and see her hands, smell that smell of plug tabacco and oil of oly.. I can still feel what if feels like to be rocked in her arms..)

But for me.. It a deliberate act of.. I am going to take this time and it is stricky for grandma.. She used to love to sit outside and talk..

Sounds like you are going to do the same with her roses..

My Mother has been gone since I was 14 (1977). I used to visit her grave fairly regularly it was hearbreaking for me..was such a hard time. I have lived far away for quite some years but when I do go back to NH I do visit her grave
I had a bad spell there for awhile with deaths
I lost my father in 2001
One of my closest friend in 2002
My sister with Down Syndrome in 2003
My partner in 2006

I dont visit my Fathers grave, my sisters or my best friends because they are buried so far away. Im sure if I went back there I would go to see them. Im not sure exactly what it "does" for me. I mostly clean up the site make sure everything looks nice and neat.
My partner was cremated and I have her ashes in the house

I guess it depends on each person and if or how it comforts them

i think this is the crux of my question. of course, i want the site to be well kept and tidy. i've set aside some cash to add a couple of planters to the grave site so i can plant mom's beloved roses for her. i just don't feel a sense of connection there and am wondering if other folks feel that or if it's something different that draws them there. i do realize there's no right or wrong way to go about this. being individual, we all find solace in differing things and peace wherever we may. i suspect i'm trying to think myself through this trying time and find a way that feels both respectful of my mother and tenable for me.

i'm very sorry to hear about your losses. so many in such a short time. that has to be very difficult. my heart goes out to you.

Will,

Where my Godfather is buried at, is pretty close to his son. His son was a policeman, and was killed in a car accident. Thank God above, he died instantly. He had no idea of what hit him, literally. And yes, he was on-duty at the time. So, his son is buried with other policemen and women and firefighters in this one section of the cemetary.

My Godparents used to go to the cemetary every month for hours at a time to be with their son. In doing so, they noticed another couple, late 50's, with lawn chairs sitting next to a grave that was close to their son's. Eventually they began talking. In talking they realized that their only son was also a policeman, and he too was killed while working. However, these folks cannot let him go and go to the cemetary every single day. And they sit there for hours at a time. They schedule their appointments around the time they are at the cemetary. The father retired early from Black and Decker. The mother was a housewife. They sold their home, and moved into an apartment that was cheaper. Life was just so different for them since their son died. They basically lived their lives thru their son. And of course he was their only child. So that is their connection to life.

When we buried my Godfather, we all noticed the elderly couple sitting in their lawn chairs by their son. Still shaken by the events that took place years earlier. Unable to let go. For some people, that is what grief is like.

I think when you plant the rose bushes and clean up your mother's gravestone, you will know what to do & feel that sense of connection.

My sister was not buried. She was creamated. Part of her ashes were spread at different locations according to her wishes. And the bulk of her remains are placed where only family members know of. Sometimes I think it is better that way. It is a guarantee of privacy. The one thing I know I personally don't like is when someone interrupts me when I am at my beloved Grandparents plots, or my Godfather's. It just throws me off. Plus all the rules and regs. that cemetaries now have due to vandalism.

I wish you peace in your journey with this.

Love,
Andrew