Dads Birthday & grief reflection

It has been almost three years since my father passed away. It was his birthday yesterday. I cried a bit on the day and took a couple days off. It's been an odd week for me. 

After a few days worth of depression and mostly numbness, I am trying to take the mental headspace to evaluate my thoughts and emotions. 

Almost three years post death, it is easier, but still hard in different ways. I don't cry everyday anymore and don't think of the traumatic circumstances of the death everyday anymore. Instead, I am more able to think of my dad as he was, throughout my childhood and happy memories. At the beginning of grieving, the only way i could think about my dad was how he was when he was dying. It was visceral and raw at that time, but it does get easier. 

It is important to remember that healing is not a straight line akin to a Roman road which has been travlled for millenia. Healing is an untravelled and overgrown landscape with no discernible path. 

My Dad was a kind, gentle, funny, charismatic, sensitive, logical, generous, complex and intelligent man. He showed me unconditional love, which is something that not all have experienced. I was a troublemaker in my teenager years and he was alway there for me. There are a lot of people who don't exprience that in this life. I will forever be greatful for having him in my life, although he was taken too soon. 

 

  • What heartfelt and wonderful words. Your description of losing your Dad really spoke to me this morning. Thank you for sharing such a personal description of your Dad and through your words I can almost imagine him. I have a wipe board on my fridge and since Mum died I have literally filled it with every one word I can think of to describe her to the point I have no room left on the board, which shows what an amazing person she was. My Mum was so brave, courageous, kind, loving and compassionate. Always willing to educate herself even in her 80s. It is true when you say a lot of people don't experience that in this life, I feel the same and I feel so blessed for this.

    Your post has given me hope. Hope that in time the horrifying images that are currently torturing me will fade and perhaps I will not think of them daily and in time I will not cry daily. The sadness and missing doesn't go but as you say the rawness does ease. At the moment I feel I have so much to mentally process that I haven't even started, I think over many months, even years I will process everything piece by piece, it is just too much to fully contemplate right now in one go and you mentioning similar after nearly 3 years has passed shows that we need time to evaluate something so life changing. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Your Dad sounds an amazing man.

    Jane

  • Hi I know this post is over a year old but couldn't help wanting to reply. My dad died 6 weeks ago from lung cancer 8 months after diagnosis. He died comfortable as possible at home in a hospital bed with us all looking after him 24 hours a day in his final weeks. I've had a bad day today but some days aren't so bad. I try to think of him as he was before his illness but the images of him dying often take over. What you have described and how you have described it has helped me today and just thought I'd say thanks. I hope you're doing ok and thanks again. Alan.