I Remember…

As I reflect on my own loss of both parents and the loss of others I realise that grief is never too far away. The memories linger on in one way or another.  It might be a smell, a song, a word or even your reflection in the mirror that reminds you of your loved ones.

I came across this article and these quotes compiled by Larry Stansbury in Woman’s day.com grief-quotes

Losing someone close to you whether that’s because of a death in the family, a divorce, or the ending of a friendship is hard. Along with the initial shock, it’s a challenge when you have to go on and learn how to navigate the future without them by your side. And because the grieving process is different for everyone, it can often be lonely and isolating.

You can use these messages as a reminder that you’re not alone, or you can share them with someone who is experiencing a loss as a source of comfort.

NICHOLAS SPARKS

“Without you in my arms, I feel emptiness in my soul. I find myself searching the crowds for your face—I know it’s an impossibility, but I cannot help myself.”

JODI PICOULT

“Grief is a curious thing, when it happens unexpectedly. It is a band-aid being ripped away, taking the top layer off a family. And the underbelly of a household is never pretty, ours no exception.”

ELISABETH KUBLER-ROSS AND DAVID KESSLER

“The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you’ll learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to.”

SARAH DESSEN

“Grieving doesn’t make you imperfect. It makes you human.”

JOSE N. HARRIS

“Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart.”

MAYA ANGELOU

“And when great souls die, after a period peace blooms, slowly and always irregularly. Spaces fill with a kind of soothing electric vibration. Our senses, restored, never to be the same, whisper to us. They existed. We can be. Be and be better. For they existed.”

UNKNOWN

“When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure.”

ANNE LAMOTT

“You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.”

The most important thing to remember is that grieving is totally normal, but if you need help getting through the bereavement process, there is support available.

                              SUPPORT AND RESOURCES

• CRUSE Bereavement Support – (national) has lots of useful advice and information on the website and a helpline for support https://www.cruse.org.uk/
• Sheffield CRUSE offer one to one appointments. Call Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. 0114 2493328
• Listening Ear – http://listening-ear.co.uk/support-fro-those-bereaved-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-in-south-yorks/ providing support, advice and guidance to anyone over the age of 11 who is registered with a GP in South Yorkshire and has been bereaved during the Covid-19 crisis.
• The Compassionate Friends – National Organisation for bereaved parents and their families. Helpline open every day of the year. Useful resources and details of online support groups for specific circumstances https://www.tcf.org.uk/
• SOBS – a self –help organisation for those who are bereaved as a result of suicide https://uksobs.org/?doing
• Widowed and Young – For those aged 50 or under when their partner died. https://www.widowedandyoung.org.uk/about-us/
• SANDS is a national stillbirth and neonatal death charity which includes a bereavement helpline, mobile app. Online community, resources, and a Sheffield support group
• Child Bereavement UK supports families when a baby or child of an age dies or is dying or when a child is facing bereavement https://www.childbereavementuk.org/