Recently a dear friend of mine lost a grandchild who wasn’t even a year old. And then I found out that it was the two year anniversary of the death of the adult daughter of my landlady. I didn’t really know what to say to either of these women. I can’t say I know how they feel. I have no children. I can’t imagine a greater loss, though. Parents aren’t supposed to survive their children. It’s not natural. It’s not right. It’s beyond cruel.
My heart breaks for both of them, and for anyone who finds themselves in similar circumstances. While I am at a loss for words in these situations, I can listen, and I hope that helps, because I think it’s important for people to talk about it, and often people don’t want to hear it. It makes them too uncomfortable. But fortunately there’s an even better source of support out there. It’s called Compassionate Friends, and it’s a support group for people who have lost children, regardless of the child’s age at the time of death.
Compassionate friends has chapters in all 50 states in the US, as well as Washington DC, Puerto Rico and Guam. They also have an online community and a crisis hotline. I strongly encourage you to visit their website and find a chapter near you if you need to talk, or need to be around people who can truly understand what you’re going through.
You are not alone.
Leave a Reply to The View from a DrawbridgeCancel reply