Alone and Alive

Just when I thought nothing could surprise me and make me cry, my emotions ran out from behind a tree and mugged me. I was continuing to clean out the large closet in my den and opened the box of papers. In the middle of the box was an envelope from Bob's employer. It contained e-mail messages from across the country. These messages, sent to his employer, expressed not only condolences, but also discussed Bob's many wonderful attributes, including patience, kindness, and his chronic cheerfulness.

I had not read these e-mails before and decided that my son, Thomas, would enjoy hearing them. I began reading them out loud. As I read, tears began to well up, as I recalled all of Bob's good traits, the things about him that attracted to me to him in the first place and kept our marriage strong. Suddenly, I missed him tremendously. It is in those surprise moments that we realize that grief is never fully gone, but we can go on to live joyous, full lives alone. Be patient with yourself, and remember, it takes time to heal.