Hello again. It is now 19 months since my beloved Anne was taken from me. Some of you may remember me from 14 months ago, I may be new to others. It has been some time since I posted here (been going through a very rough 6 months).
I just wanted to post something about what this group means to me. I may not have posted, but I have been reading every single day. So much support, so much help. Just wanted to post something I came across a couple of weeks ago. I wish these were my words, but they express how I feel about this community. To all the members of the club we wished we had never joined.
Written by Aimee Suyko, on her Facebook page – In Their Footsteps.
Grief can be so isolating.
You feel like you’re the only one who understands this kind of pain. The only one who’s still struggling when everyone else has moved on. The only one who can’t seem to get it together.
But you’re not alone.
There are so many of us out here. Walking this same brutal road. Missing our loved ones. Trying to survive days where the weight feels impossible.
And we need each other.
We need to lift each other up when the weight gets too heavy to bear alone. We need to remind each other that we’re not crazy, we’re not broken, we’re just grieving.
We need to say the things no one else will say. Like “it’s okay to still be struggling.” Like “you don’t have to be over it by now.” Like “grief doesn’t have a timeline and anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.”
We are the people who understand. Who don’t judge. Who don’t expect you to be fine when you’re falling apart.
Because we get it. We’ve been there. We are there.
So, if you’re reading this and you’re struggling today—We see you.
We see you trying to hold it together. We see you missing them with every fibre of your being. We see you wondering how you’re going to keep doing this.
And I’m telling you: you’re not alone.
There are so many of us out here who know exactly what this feels like. Who are fighting the same fight. Who are surviving the same impossible grief.
And we’re here for you.
Just with understanding. And solidarity. And the reminder that you are doing better than you think.
We lift each other up in this community. Because we know what it’s like to need someone to hold you up when you can’t stand on your own.
So, lean on us. Share your story. Say their name. Remember them. Tell us what you’re struggling with.
We’ll be here. Not to fix it. Because it can't be "fixed". But to sit with you. To listen to your pain. To remind you that you’re not alone.
To tell you that what you’re feeling is valid, it is real and it is okay to not be okay.
Because that’s what we do for each other.
We show up. We listen. We understand.
And we lift each other up.
One grieving heart at a time.
You’re not alone in this.
And you never have to be.
With love to all, Chris
