Photo is of Ellie and the children at Center Parcs for a very long and very enjoyable time last weekend !
Yesterday I read a very good article on grief...possibly the most helpful thing I've read since 'it all happened'….
My paraphrase :-
- Grief is normal, necessary, unavoidable…
- Grief is hard work – it ‘flattens you’, affects your
thinking, your concentration and emotional
wellbeing. It makes you feel like you’re going crazy…. you can’t just “get on
with your life”
- There’s no closure - Grief is never short - it’s
always there – lifelong, sometimes overwhelming, sometimes very raw ("Closure is relevant to business deals but not to the human heart")
- It's good to stay ‘connected’ to the person who has died...eg talking, photos etc (“their physical presence may be
gone but…you remain in relationship in a new way beyond form…”)
- Grief changes you irrevocably and gives you a
whole new perspective. “It teaches
about living and dying, about pain and love and about impermanence. While some
people are changed by grief in a way that makes them bitter and shut down, it
is also possible to use grief as a springboard for compassion, wisdom, and
open-heartedness"
As Ellie and I read it, lights seemed to be going on all around - it all sounded so very very familiar !
For the full article – click here – it’s
really a very good read.
-
As for the house situation – it still seems to be
progressing but is slow…contract documents and searches/surveys are all
complete and no outstanding issues. Today’s
news is that the current owners have finally advised that they are now willing to
exchange contracts before the end of August….with completion to be agreed but likely to be mid-end
October. So...we're still waiting!!
