“The photo on this post is of my late husband and me. It was our last trip to Africa together. He looks a bit tired and haggard in the photo because, well, unknown to us when we set out on the trip, his cancer was back with a vengeance.”
‘It’s back and growing rapidly.’ We had a feeling this would be our last trip together, but we prayed it wasn’t so. NOTHING brought him relief of any kind.’: Widow recounts loss of husband, healing through nonprofit missionary work, ‘There is PURPOSE in the pain’
‘Your sister passed away.’ In a matter of years, I lost half my immediate family. This grief is not linear.’: Woman pens moving grief journey, ‘I live every day with authenticity’
“My cousin showed up at my house. Though her voice was calm when she arrived, I knew in that moment my sister was gone. Her death would be under investigation. She’d been struggling for months.”
‘Have fun,’ I whispered as he leaned in to kiss me. ‘I will.’ He quietly slipped out for a hike, and never came home.’: Widow shares words of wisdom after late husband’s hiking accident
“There was an ache in my chest as I waited for his return. My experienced hiker, my beloved husband, wasn’t answering my calls or texts. All of this life we loved together vanished in a moment.”
‘The principal came over the loudspeaker. ‘What’s going on?’ I panicked as we left. ‘They can’t find your Grandma Myrna.’: Woman remembers grandma lost on 9/11, ‘I still miss her laugh’
“She worked at the World Trade Center, and she’d shop on her lunch break. She ALWAYS had the most out-of-this-world clothing. She was constantly turning heads. ‘Do you think Grandma is gone?’ All I remember is the way she looked at me.”
‘The house is too big for 2 people!’ I had to tell him, and soon. They showed up with nothing but a paper bag.’: Couple adopt 3 siblings, ‘We instantly loved them’
“He was looking to place these 3 children. ‘We think y’all could handle it, and we want to keep them together.’ They were like wild colts and would just run off. We didn’t know how they might react.”
‘Suck it up. You’re fine.’ She took a bad fall. I was too traumatized to step foot in a hospital.’: Young widow has realization about ‘grief management’ after daughter crashes bike
“My daughter head-slammed to the ground. It happened when I was in the deepest pain of my life, betrayed and hurt by the one person I thought I could count on after my husband died. I panicked.”
‘Why are there only four people?’ ‘I’m not in the picture, I’m in heaven.’ A part of me knew it was true, even then.’: Mom shares emotional grief journey after 14-year-old son killed in car crash
“He was everyone’s greatest cheerleader, and his teammates and coaches loved him for it. I had an overwhelming feeling to appreciate that exact moment in time. ‘The traffic is actually not too bad.’ That was the last moment I remember.”
‘She’s not just gone to the grocery store or gone on vacation, but she’s gone so far she’s never coming back.’: Motherless daughter shares reality of grief and loss
“It’s buying her cards for her birthday and not having an address to send them to. It’s asking her old friends and family members to tell you the same stories about her, over and over again. This is the life of a motherless daughter.”
‘As I went through my daughter’s camera roll, I came across a photo of this blanket. I smiled. Suddenly, my problems didn’t seem so big.’: Widow thanks daughter on day of husband’s death, ‘The girl who smiled when it seemed impossible’
“Every year, we go back to try to find it – that peace from this horrible grief. Except this year, they were closed. Just that night. To sanitize.”
‘In my head I screamed, ‘No! No!’ You don’t know what it’s like to only be left with a bloody photo.’: Woman grieves infertility journey and tubal pregnancy loss, ‘I want people to feel less alone’
“I shouted, ‘No! That’s not an option. My baby HAS to be okay.’ While high on Oxycontin I realized why people become drug addicts. I went to bed not knowing if I’d wake up.”
