Living beyond deep grief takes guts, patience, persistence and courage. Find the courage to live again. Find the courage to live in the now and to make that now meaningful and purposeful. Do not give your grief the power to define you, to limit you, to break you. You do not want to remain in deep grief…to feel defined by your loss, controlled by your sadness, stuck in a grief tsunami. Deep within your soul there is a knowing that you have the ability to become more than your grief. Deep within your soul there is a knowing that you can become more than your pain and longing for how things were. Deep within your soul there is a knowing that you can and you will grow forward in courage and resilience. Deep within your soul there is a knowing that your light continues to shine, that you are wired to endure and built to live and love.
You must actively participate in your healing. You must make choices that get you closer to where you want to be tomorrow…living beyond your deep grief. Ask yourself if what you are doing today is moving you closer to healing. Are you treating yourself with compassion? Are you nurturing your mind and body? Are you connecting with others who understand and can support you? Are you finding new ways to engage in the world? Are you finding new ways to comfort and care for yourself? Are you finding news ways to empower and honor yourself?
You may not know how you will get through the day or how you will grow and heal through grief. You may not know how you will live with sadness and live meaningfully still. It’s okay not to know. It’s okay to feel uncertain, overwhelmed and scared. Try. Try to take good care of yourself. Try to find meaningful ways to spend your time. Try to engage in life differently and with faith in yourself and in your future. Try. You will stumble. You will fall. Keep rising. Keep learning. Keep growing. Grief is hard work. Choose courageously how you will remember and honor your loved one. Choose courageously how you will grow through your grief and find ways to live your life with passion and purpose. Deep within your soul remains possibility, faith, and the potential to feel alive, connected and good once again.
I feel so sad and I feel like I will never from passion or happiness again. My sister died in May from metastatis breast cancer. She was everything to me , my strength when things were hard. She was my big sister , we share heartbreak as well as happiness throughout our life. She wanted so much to be here. At times I feel ok but mostly redraw and I only want to be around my family and close friends.
You are grieving. Deep grief does not last forever. Everything that your sister was to you remains within your heart. Hold onto and give power to the love. She wanted so much to be here, you are here, live in honor of her. Share her story. Do good in her name. Allow her life to continue to have meaningful impact through you and your choices. Surround yourself with the love of family and friends, reach out to others who have loved and lost their loved ones to cancer for the kind of support that comes from knowing and try to live forward connecting to people and experiences that fill your soul. Take good care, Jen