The Ones We Love

We grieve people or things by who or what they were to us (relation). We grieve them by the importance and significant role they had in our lives. We not only grieve the death, we grieve the manner of death.

• It’s fitting to say that the loss of a child or the loss of a mother is the most devastating and painful experiences. After all, a mother and child are connected as soon as they are conceived…connected from the womb.

• Losing any parent, including step-parents is a painful loss. These are the people that care for us, teach us, and nurture us. They are the first people we feel love for.

• The loss of someone that we are in a relationship with (girlfriend, boyfriend, best friend, fiance, spouse, significant other) is just as unimaginable as losing the others listed above. Relationship bonds are a different kind of love and compassion that can devastate us like no other.

• Sibling loss, in my opinion, is slightly underrated. A sibling is considered “a first best friend” for many. Most siblings develop a bond that is unbreakable. When a sibling dies, it is like a “broken chain” or “missing link” or “missing puzzle piece” (incomplete).

• Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles in some people lives are equivalent to the loss of a parent because many of them treat us as such.

• Cousins are also our first best friends. Some grow up with their cousins as “brothers and sisters”. It’s only natural to grieve them as well and again, in my opinion, an underrated grief.

• Co-workers are people that we are with several days a week, several hours a day. Some develop a special bond. Losing them is just as painful as losing a family member.

• Pets are just like having a child. For some, their pet is their “only” child. Pets are grieved just as hard.

This list only lists some of who we love. There are other relationships people develop. We should understand that grief is unique to a person. As always mentioned, it is a process that we have to go through to allow ourselves to heal. Always remember, there is light after darkness. Heal, Believe, and Achieve.