Notes From Me To You September 25, 2023

A Year Of Grief...

Happy Monday!

I have debated about some of the things I am going to share this week. Mainly because I am still in a season of grief and am still working on my feelings. So I apologize in advance if some of these next few newsletters are a bit jumbled.

In a week, it will be one year since my mom passed away, and last week, it really hit me hard that it is coming up on a year. I woke up last Wednesday with my mama heavy on my mind, and I cried several times throughout the day. There is actually not a day where I do not think about it. But last Wednesday was hard.

Grief is not the same for anyone. The aches, the pain, and the chaos that grief empties on you are absolutely terrible.

Also, grieving as your spouse grieves is a whole other thing (I have no words for it). My husband and I lost our moms 2 and 1/2 months apart. And it is truly Jesus who has kept us both sane. My therapist also gets credit for me not completely losing it.

As this first year without my mom is nearing, there are a few things I want to share with you, and I pray they are a little helpful to you or for you to help someone that you know if they are grieving:

• Let folks grieve; let people feel their feelings. As long as they are not being harmful to themselves or others, it is important to let a person go through emotions.

• Do not say it gets better with time because, as much as it does, the pain of grief will and does pop up when you least expect it.

• Do not compare your grief with anyone else; this will SET SOMEONE OFF

• Just pray about it—as important as prayer is, when you tell someone to just pray, sometimes you come off as telling a person not to express how they feel.

• As you grieve, try your best to still do things you enjoy. (I have been a little late to the party on this one.)

• Let people take care of you and check on you. If a grieving person does not reply right away, give them grace.

• If you need something from someone, let it be known. People love when they do not need to guess about what it is you need.

Some things over the last year have been an absolute blur to me. As much as I was present in some places physically, mentally, I was absolutely tuned out.

This season of grief has also caused me some anxiety; more on this later in the week.

Enjoy your week, and here are a few things that I hope brighten your week: