OCTOBER 12
Incredibly, I’ve gone all afternoon without thinking of her.
—HOYT HICKMANWe thought we would never be able to do it—move back
into the active stream of the life we had known before this
loss occurred.
And, of course, it’s not the same life. Not only is the cast
of characters diminished by one, but we, having been af-
fected by this loss, are not the same person we were. And,
depending on how close other key people in our life were
to the one who is gone, perhaps neither are they.
But one day we realize we are beginning to come into our
new life—where we are not always weighted down by grief.
We may find ourselves enjoying a dish of ice cream or a cup
of hot tea without reference to what is missing from our
lives. We may watch a movie or a play without the complic-
ation of being a viewer for whom everything is colored by
grief. We may finish a conversation with a friend and realize
that not once did our loss seem to lie like an undertow be-
neath that exchange. Then we know we have moved onto
a new path in our healing journey.
I know I cannot force it, but, bit by bit, recovery will come.