grief
Losing a family member is one of the most traumatic life events; Families must support one another to endure the five stages of grief and get through it together.
Funerals
When my daddy died, my mom was so sick from chemo we had to put off his funeral. The plan was to have a viewing, funeral, then have him cremated. Instead, he was cremated the day after he passed. I am ok with not having the viewing. My last memory of my dad, while isn't the most ideal, it was of him alive. He talked about being baptized in the South China Sea, how he was excited to see his own father when he passed, and just how much he loved me. He was weak, sick and in pain but, he was alive and able to talk.
By Keleigh Kilgore6 years ago in Families
It’s Not Goodbye; It’s See You Soon
It was mid-July and the intense summer heat was in full effect. We were on our way to go camping in Vermont, my mother’s side had already gotten the camper set up right on Lake Bomoseen. It was supposed to be an amazing way to spend part of summer break, but with one phone call that all changed.
By Kyleigh Keovilay6 years ago in Families
Through Dad's Eyes
This is the journal of a dying man. My kids won't know everything from my life. They're barely old enough to realize daddy is sick. I sit in this room in the back of my mother's house at 33-years-old and I am facing a hole in the ground that is about six feet deep. Part of me wants to just jump in and escape the pain I'm in. Part of me wants to rewind the time, undo the things I did that will take me away from the lives I created. Were the times I had getting myself into this mess really worth the price that they'll pay without me here; were they worth the price I'm paying now? Every day I wake up to pill after pill and another day of doctors and IVs just to get through. Maybe I'll be here for the next birthday, or the next holiday. Maybe... Maybe not. At this point in my life, that shouldn't be a question. The reality of it is—my reality anyway—is every day, every hour, minute, second, every breath is a question. I can only hope and pray at this point. "Give me one more, God, please just one more. I want to see my daughters playing in the park just one more time. I just want one more kiss goodnight. I want to get to read one more bed time story. I don't want to go now, God, please let me hang on for a while longer. At least until they know me."
By Jade Grayson6 years ago in Families
The Seven Stages of Grief
The Seven Stages of Grief When my father passed away in 2015, it was a rough time in general. He had cancer in his lungs, esophagus and a tumor pressing on his brain, impairing his speech. It was hard because neither my brothers nor I had ever dealt with a death in the immediate family like this before. Thankfully, he already planned everything out ahead of time. I often wonder if I grieved in the appropriate manner. I’m still not sure if I did, or I just did it my own way. I was told by many people that it would eventually hit me, and hit me hard. Maybe it did subconsciously, because I never felt like it did. I decided to look into the seven stages of grief and give my outlook on them from my experiences.
By James Howell6 years ago in Families
It's OK to Grieve
I have had many traumatic things happen in my life. I have seen a woman get shot and watched her die. I almost died giving birth to my daughter, and she almost died as well. I cared for my grandmother until she died and it left me homeless for a few months. Nothing, however, has been as traumatic as caring for my parents and watching them slowly die.
By Keleigh Kilgore6 years ago in Families
Death and the Afterlife
What is death? How much of the process do we truly know and comprehend? It’s easy to say that your body expires, organs shut down, and you cease to be. You can read information on the process of dying and how to reassure the person to make their transition to death easier, and what you can expect from the death if you are present when it occurs. I’ve just always felt there was more to it than that.
By James Howell6 years ago in Families
My Most Important Life Lesson
In life, people are constantly learning, whether it's from school or mistakes we have made or others around them and they mistakes they have made. Despite the life lessons you may learn in high school or from your elders, some of the most important ones can sometimes come in the moments you least expect it. How do I know this? Well, I've experienced it.
By Angelique Roberson6 years ago in Families
The Day I Lost You
I'll never forget the day I found out I was going to be a mom. It was the most exciting thing ever. I was only fifteen years old and I had been with my boyfriend for about a year. We were so young and didn't care what anyone thought or said because we knew that we were going to be together forever and we knew that we wanted to start a family. We had been trying for maybe three months. We had went to Los Angeles to go visit my boyfriend's family and I started feeling a little weird, getting the usual symptoms that you get in early pregnancies. We stopped by CVS and bought a pregnancy test. I've taken a lot before, but there's something about this one that I was just so sure about.
By Michelle Avila6 years ago in Families
An Open Letter to my Grandfather
Well I never called you grandpa, I called you Ed, we all called you Ed and when I was little I always felt like the most special girl in the world because I had something no one else did, I had my very own Ed. I had someone who was like a grandfather to me, but I was allowed to call you Ed and that just added to your charm. It's taken me a little while since you've died to be able to even think about you without crying, but I'm giving myself some credit on that since it's still only been a few months. So now I'm here writing this letter because I think it's something you'd encourage me to do, to write through my grief because you always encouraged me to write and to do anything even mildly educational, so here it goes.
By Savannah Aichem6 years ago in Families
My Mother
My mother Cleo passed away on January 5th, 2014. When my mom left this world, my heart was literally broken into pieces. Her pain and sudden illness started in November, around Thanksgiving. I was over her house waiting for the food to be done and she started having pain in her leg because her doctor had said that she had sciatica. The pain was so unbearable for her that she was down the whole time, so it was up to me to try and cook the food. At least you can say the food didn’t go so well. My sister came to the rescue with her food. After Thanksgiving was over, everything appeared to be back to normal with my mom.
By Jeanette Williams6 years ago in Families
To My Mother Who Left Too Soon
Hello Mom, It's been too long since I last spoke to you, in person that is. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't wish I could call you or visit you just to see how you're doing, to hear your voice, to know you're there. You left too soon, too soon for me to tell you all the things I wish I could so I'll say them now if only for the hope that somehow you can hear them.
By Kasey Gilbert6 years ago in Families