I didn't choose losing my husband at such a young age! At least not to my current knowledge but I'm under the impression that I signed up for this. I think I've always sensed this was going to be my lot in life.
I think he sensed it too. It was always jokingly, but I think he sensed it. It's one of those things that when you take the time to look back over impressions and conversations that you see a pattern start to emerge. Of course, in the midst of every day life you aren't looking for it, and many times it gets overlooked. Now I don't say this to start making you try to see what might be lying in store in your future, because I'm not. I'm just saying that for me, I think we both knew this was coming. We didn't know it in the sense that we really planned for what to do if it did happen, but I think we both just knew.
Often times he would jokingly (at least it came across as jokingly) that he was going to die when he was 45 (or some young age like that, just not 40) I kept telling him to "Shutup, and quit talking like that." I of course, didn't want to face a situation of that magnitude because quite frankly it scared me. Why it scared me, I can't quite explain, but it did. Often times people are scared of the unknown, and the feelings that linger beneath the surface. But as I sit back and think about the last several years I can't help but feel like I had moments where that thought would flash in my mind and I would push it aside. I didn't want to pay attention to it. Do you blame me? I don't.
It's been two months since my sweetheart has passed on, and I have cried so much since then than I thought was ever humanly possible. I might actually start crying before this is over too, that's just how it works. In these two months, we've celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve/Day, our son's 10th birthday, and all of the other day to day stuff that happens. We've painted our living room to give it a face lift. I'm changing out furniture because I feel like it, not to mention it's old and needed to be replaced a long time ago. I've had my furnace stop working over New Years Eve and it was out for a few days, so we stayed at my father in laws house. It was really refreshing to stay somewhere else for a few nights. I've had bills to pay, we've gone out to eat a few different times. I'm now experience my first sickness without him here, and my three year old is sick too. My kids have missed the bus a few times in the last two months, which has required me to drive them, and often sets back the rest of the morning. (I'm not a natural morning person so this has been rough) And what makes it more rough is when you have a difficult time getting to sleep at night. All the memories creep in, all the thoughts of the good times, an the replaying of the weeks and days leading up to his eventual passing away.
When he passed away I experienced an intense physical pain. It wasn't just emotional but I had a physical pain too. I was now separated from the love of my life, he was my prince charming, he was my man! And now, he isn't with us physically anymore. We were one, we were connected in our purpose and in our love for each other. And now he was just ripped away from me without any warning. Yes he was sick, but I had hope that he was going to get better. That was not to be.
I've learned a lot about myself, and it really isn't awe inspiring or anything but I know that my love for him runs really deep to the core of my being. And his absence is heartbreaking for sure. There have been many times and moments where having him here, would make everything not feel so bad but I don't get that now. We were and are a team. If decisions needed to be made we usually made them together, so now that I've had to make decisions I'm my only sounding board unless I manage to bore someone else with my crazy thoughts. Which sometimes they can be very off the wall crazy. He was my stabilizing factor, the person that when things started to go not the way we had planned he'd talk me through it and help me understand and see how things weren't nearly as bad as I perceived them to be at first.
I found that I was relying more on him, then on my Savior Jesus Christ, and my Heavenly Father. So since then I realized that I needed to change that within myself. I need to lean on them for strength, peace and comfort. I've gained a better knowledge of the love that they have for me, and just because they love me and I'm trying to do whats right doesn't mean I'm not going to experience trials and challenges. And if you ask me - this particular challenge beats them all. But at the same time, I look at my situation and feel that I'm in a rough spot right now but realize there are others that have it worse then what I'm going through really is. And I'd rather have this trial then one that another person is struggling with that I think is way more unbearable. But really, I've also discovered that through these low moments and the darkest of days, I have a source of light to turn to and seek comfort from. Yes, it might not be tangible like sometimes I long for, but it puts me in a place that brings me closer to my Savior and that much closer to being with my sweetheart again.
I keep having moments where it just all seems too hard, and too much for me to handle and deal with, which results in a break down of tears and lots of praying to God. I also have moments where being the sole parent here on Earth is very overwhelming and my kids aren't very cooperative and I just want to SCREAM because it isn't fair! It's a real feeling, I know, I have it multiple times a week and usually multiple times in a day. It isn't fair, but it's what my life is now. I don't wish this on my worst enemy.
I don't know who I am without him right here beside me. And that's what this next year is going to be about. Creating who I am in a world where my sweetheart doesn't live anymore. I miss him like crazy, and I would like nothing more than to see him once again. But I know that isn't going to happen, hopefully for a long, long time. We have six kids that need to be raised and I want to be a grandmother someday.
I long for companionship, and maybe someday that will happen. But for now, it's all about me. Which feels weird too, but I'm reinventing myself, I have to. If I'm going to survive this. It's all I can do sometimes to just breath through minute by minute but eventually I know it will get easier, it just isn't that time right now.
So if you hear a scream off in the distance please know that I'm doing my best, but right now it's feeling very overwhelming to me and not something I'm really enjoying either. I sometimes just need a release, and sometimes multiple releases.
I think he sensed it too. It was always jokingly, but I think he sensed it. It's one of those things that when you take the time to look back over impressions and conversations that you see a pattern start to emerge. Of course, in the midst of every day life you aren't looking for it, and many times it gets overlooked. Now I don't say this to start making you try to see what might be lying in store in your future, because I'm not. I'm just saying that for me, I think we both knew this was coming. We didn't know it in the sense that we really planned for what to do if it did happen, but I think we both just knew.
Often times he would jokingly (at least it came across as jokingly) that he was going to die when he was 45 (or some young age like that, just not 40) I kept telling him to "Shutup, and quit talking like that." I of course, didn't want to face a situation of that magnitude because quite frankly it scared me. Why it scared me, I can't quite explain, but it did. Often times people are scared of the unknown, and the feelings that linger beneath the surface. But as I sit back and think about the last several years I can't help but feel like I had moments where that thought would flash in my mind and I would push it aside. I didn't want to pay attention to it. Do you blame me? I don't.
It's been two months since my sweetheart has passed on, and I have cried so much since then than I thought was ever humanly possible. I might actually start crying before this is over too, that's just how it works. In these two months, we've celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve/Day, our son's 10th birthday, and all of the other day to day stuff that happens. We've painted our living room to give it a face lift. I'm changing out furniture because I feel like it, not to mention it's old and needed to be replaced a long time ago. I've had my furnace stop working over New Years Eve and it was out for a few days, so we stayed at my father in laws house. It was really refreshing to stay somewhere else for a few nights. I've had bills to pay, we've gone out to eat a few different times. I'm now experience my first sickness without him here, and my three year old is sick too. My kids have missed the bus a few times in the last two months, which has required me to drive them, and often sets back the rest of the morning. (I'm not a natural morning person so this has been rough) And what makes it more rough is when you have a difficult time getting to sleep at night. All the memories creep in, all the thoughts of the good times, an the replaying of the weeks and days leading up to his eventual passing away.
When he passed away I experienced an intense physical pain. It wasn't just emotional but I had a physical pain too. I was now separated from the love of my life, he was my prince charming, he was my man! And now, he isn't with us physically anymore. We were one, we were connected in our purpose and in our love for each other. And now he was just ripped away from me without any warning. Yes he was sick, but I had hope that he was going to get better. That was not to be.
I've learned a lot about myself, and it really isn't awe inspiring or anything but I know that my love for him runs really deep to the core of my being. And his absence is heartbreaking for sure. There have been many times and moments where having him here, would make everything not feel so bad but I don't get that now. We were and are a team. If decisions needed to be made we usually made them together, so now that I've had to make decisions I'm my only sounding board unless I manage to bore someone else with my crazy thoughts. Which sometimes they can be very off the wall crazy. He was my stabilizing factor, the person that when things started to go not the way we had planned he'd talk me through it and help me understand and see how things weren't nearly as bad as I perceived them to be at first.
I found that I was relying more on him, then on my Savior Jesus Christ, and my Heavenly Father. So since then I realized that I needed to change that within myself. I need to lean on them for strength, peace and comfort. I've gained a better knowledge of the love that they have for me, and just because they love me and I'm trying to do whats right doesn't mean I'm not going to experience trials and challenges. And if you ask me - this particular challenge beats them all. But at the same time, I look at my situation and feel that I'm in a rough spot right now but realize there are others that have it worse then what I'm going through really is. And I'd rather have this trial then one that another person is struggling with that I think is way more unbearable. But really, I've also discovered that through these low moments and the darkest of days, I have a source of light to turn to and seek comfort from. Yes, it might not be tangible like sometimes I long for, but it puts me in a place that brings me closer to my Savior and that much closer to being with my sweetheart again.
I keep having moments where it just all seems too hard, and too much for me to handle and deal with, which results in a break down of tears and lots of praying to God. I also have moments where being the sole parent here on Earth is very overwhelming and my kids aren't very cooperative and I just want to SCREAM because it isn't fair! It's a real feeling, I know, I have it multiple times a week and usually multiple times in a day. It isn't fair, but it's what my life is now. I don't wish this on my worst enemy.
I don't know who I am without him right here beside me. And that's what this next year is going to be about. Creating who I am in a world where my sweetheart doesn't live anymore. I miss him like crazy, and I would like nothing more than to see him once again. But I know that isn't going to happen, hopefully for a long, long time. We have six kids that need to be raised and I want to be a grandmother someday.
I long for companionship, and maybe someday that will happen. But for now, it's all about me. Which feels weird too, but I'm reinventing myself, I have to. If I'm going to survive this. It's all I can do sometimes to just breath through minute by minute but eventually I know it will get easier, it just isn't that time right now.
So if you hear a scream off in the distance please know that I'm doing my best, but right now it's feeling very overwhelming to me and not something I'm really enjoying either. I sometimes just need a release, and sometimes multiple releases.
I wished I had the courage that you do Wendy. But of course I did not know about blogs back in 2002 when I lost Roger. What you have done is wrote what all of us women feel who have lost our soul mate before we were ready. In the two months you have grown stronger because of this. You are finding your inner strength and bringing it out. You have done what a lot of us have done. Made changes around the home to make if easier on yourself and the kids. You have made it through the holidays which are the hardest the first time without Chris. Yes there are going to be days where the kids are late to school and to events due to the sorrow and grief you are all going through. The tears will flow for what seems to be no reason but there was a reason and it is OK. When I first went back to work, I would leave my work station several times a day because of the tears. I finally realized it was because of the photo on my desk. I removed it and the tears did not come quite as often and did stop except for special times that they snuck in. The nights were awful at first. It seems that your brain just won't shut off no matter how hard you try. It does learn to turn off after awhile but those thoughts can sneak back up on you any future nights. You learn new things or how to improve on things that were his jobs to do. It can be hard at first but then it comes naturally.
ReplyDeleteThe kids - yes there will be days that they will be kids and act out. You learn how to handle them with your on inner strength without fearing that your going to lose it to much. They too are going through the same thing but in their own ways. So far I know YOU are doing an AWESOME job with your children.
As for wanting to scream..... GO AHEAD... Leave the room or go outside and sit in the car and just let it out as loud as you can. It does HELP YOU to release some of that pent up feelings. I know because I did SCREAM... it really helps.
I have read your posts and your blogs during all this and I can say that as a woman/wife/mother you have been AWESOME. You have grown - your inner strength has come out, you have done what a lot of us have done. Made changes in our looks, our dressing, our homes and what we do daily. It is OK to do all of that because it is part of the grieving process. Those changes helps you and the kids without you realizing how much it does. I will let you in on a secret - in after 14 years all it takes some days but not every time - a song comes on that we would sing to or the kids will say something about a past event or just a photo of something that brings back a memory will trigger the tears. I have learned to let them flow for a moment and it passes.
You can bet that Chris is watching over you and the kids and very PROUD of all you have done for yourself and the kids. He has provided you with some of that inner strength to help you grow.