loss
Though age and experience can make it a little easier to let go and move forward, completely letting go and allowing ourselves to heal and look to the future with optimism and excitement can be difficult to achieve.
Today Jack would've turned 16. Had he not been swept up by a flooding creek in a friend's backyard in September of 2011, Jack would be with his mom and dad, sister and cousins and friends tonight, celebrating his sweet 16.
In honor of my dad, Robert Michelson, one of the most incredible men who ever spent a little time on this planet -- and in honor of the pain and grief and wonder conjured by death -- I am sharing five things that I learned while helping him die.
The stages of grief were not meant to tell you what you feel, what you should feel, and when exactly you should feel it. They were not meant to dictate whether you are doing your grief "correctly" or not. They were meant to normalize a deeply not-normal time.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
My parents and I heard phrases like, "What a waste." At grief groups, I was embarrassed to say how he died. As if him dying from drugs and alcohol meant I had less of a right to be there than if his life had been claimed by a car accident or a heart defect.
Acquiring new habits isn't easy. But isn't it time we gave our emotional health the same tender loving care we typically afford our physical bodies?
Consoling a griever can feel like a frightening task. However, if you follow these six tips designed to open your heart and offer your support, your grieving friend will be most grateful.
Franz Kafka, the story goes, encountered a little girl in the park where he went walking daily. She was crying. She had lost her doll and was desolate.