Grieving

[CherylNYC]

Originally Posted by Andrew, Jr.

Hey Keri,

Yes, grief is very strange indeed. To me it is like waves of the ocean. Some are huge just crashing ashore, and then some are very small - so small that you can barely see them ripple. None the less, they are there.

After JoAnn died, my stepfather died from heart failure in May of that year. A year before, I buried my adopted mother (Altzheimer's Disease on New Year's Eve). It has been very hard because I was involved in each one's life and death. I had to help them die with grace, and inner peace. I hope and pray that I did give them that.

The one thing I did was go to Grief Share. It is a support group for people who are grieving. By far it was the very best thing I ever could have done for myself. I recommend it to anyone who is Christain because it is based on Christain beliefs & values. If someone is not Christain (ie: Pagan, Jewish, Hindhu, Islamic, and so on) where they can go or what support groups are open to them to help them heal.

Life is good. Just very hard & very unfair in my opinion. I will never understand how some people just have all the luck in the world, and every door is open to them. Others just struggle.

Peace to all,
Andrew

You're right. Life is NOT fair. Did anyone ever promise that it would be? If I thought there was anything fair about this I would have lost my mind long, long ago. We either play the hand we're dealt or we cash out.

Andrew, your burden has been heavy, but you still sound strong to me. Like you, I've been struggling with consecutive losses. One thing I never let myself do is notice that others seem to struggle less with a far lighter load. I can't/don't/won't compare myself and my life to theirs. I'm only concerned with managing my own.

Like Andrew I found a bereavement support group that was a tremendous help for me. We have wonderful resources for the GLBTQ community here in NYC and I joined a gay bereavement support group through the Center. I hope that anyone who needs one can find a similar group in their community.