this was beautiful. so beautiful. I am so very sorry for your losses. so very hard.
I did not lose those so close, but all in all, I lost 7 people and it is hard to know I'll never see them again.
* the man known as "The Mayor" of a tiny town I lived in. he was the patriarch for this town, related to half of it, and for some reason, he and I really got on.
* the neighbor (same town) whose kitchen table I had sat at with her, endless cups of coffee in our hands. we were friends for a time.
* a boss of mine who owned one of the many restaurants I've worked at and was kind. a truly kind man.
* my ex-b-i-l and my ex-s-i-l who died close together, one first, the other lingered just a little while in coma and then left too. I think they couldn't stand to be without each other. in very difficult family of in-laws, they were the nice ones. my son said to me "I don't have anyone left to sit with at Christmas or Thanksgiving." (it seems unreal to me that my son was a baby at one point and my ex-husband and I wrote a song about my s-i-l turning 40, which seemed ancient in that when now that baby is turning 40.)
* a patient from many years ago and I cannot say more. but I am so sorry that smile is no longer in this world.
* an uncle who was at every family get together, every year. he was one of 6 kids and 4 brothers and they were all mixed together in a way, but he was a good guy. he was once struck by lightening and had a red blaze on his arm.
* a couple of other relatives with no cause of death given. I have to wonder.
* many people I worked with, both medical staff and patients. I am sure people I laughed with, cared for, gave report to, you name it, died during this. I worked respiratory nursing for years and that was front line. but I got Covid early and was forced to retire. I am sure there are now people missing who weren't before, but I'll never know who because I wasn't in touch any longer. it was just too dangerous a job for that not to be true.
I almost died myself and now have long covid. which is also a different sort of grief.
Thank you for sharing. I am sorry for your losses, too. There is so much grief that surrounds COVID, even for those who didn't lose anyone close. It was a lonely and scary time. I hope you heal from long-COVID, sooner than later. ♥
Thank you for so much that you've shared here, Michele. I'm honored to be named as a catalyst for this post. Post-Covid Grief is real and needs feeling and naming, and you've been brave to feel and name it.
this was beautiful. so beautiful. I am so very sorry for your losses. so very hard.
I did not lose those so close, but all in all, I lost 7 people and it is hard to know I'll never see them again.
* the man known as "The Mayor" of a tiny town I lived in. he was the patriarch for this town, related to half of it, and for some reason, he and I really got on.
* the neighbor (same town) whose kitchen table I had sat at with her, endless cups of coffee in our hands. we were friends for a time.
* a boss of mine who owned one of the many restaurants I've worked at and was kind. a truly kind man.
* my ex-b-i-l and my ex-s-i-l who died close together, one first, the other lingered just a little while in coma and then left too. I think they couldn't stand to be without each other. in very difficult family of in-laws, they were the nice ones. my son said to me "I don't have anyone left to sit with at Christmas or Thanksgiving." (it seems unreal to me that my son was a baby at one point and my ex-husband and I wrote a song about my s-i-l turning 40, which seemed ancient in that when now that baby is turning 40.)
* a patient from many years ago and I cannot say more. but I am so sorry that smile is no longer in this world.
* an uncle who was at every family get together, every year. he was one of 6 kids and 4 brothers and they were all mixed together in a way, but he was a good guy. he was once struck by lightening and had a red blaze on his arm.
* a couple of other relatives with no cause of death given. I have to wonder.
* many people I worked with, both medical staff and patients. I am sure people I laughed with, cared for, gave report to, you name it, died during this. I worked respiratory nursing for years and that was front line. but I got Covid early and was forced to retire. I am sure there are now people missing who weren't before, but I'll never know who because I wasn't in touch any longer. it was just too dangerous a job for that not to be true.
I almost died myself and now have long covid. which is also a different sort of grief.
Thank you for sharing. I am sorry for your losses, too. There is so much grief that surrounds COVID, even for those who didn't lose anyone close. It was a lonely and scary time. I hope you heal from long-COVID, sooner than later. ♥
Thank you for so much that you've shared here, Michele. I'm honored to be named as a catalyst for this post. Post-Covid Grief is real and needs feeling and naming, and you've been brave to feel and name it.
♥
Thank you for sharing these. I can only imagine how hard it was to do so. Sending peace, love, and hugs.
Writing and sharing is so healing for me. However, recording the audio brought another level to the healing process.