Over the holidays we visited my mother-in-law. I love her, she’s great. At 83 she still gets out and plays cards, goes shopping and visits friends. She’s not as fast nor can she stand as tall but her mind is sharp and she is taken care of.
She showed me an interesting article on 10 Myths About Death and Dying. It made me think she was somewhere close but she reassured me she wasn’t, just that she knew it was closer than it had been 10 years ago.
One of the items on the list was that grief goes away in time ~ definitely a MYTH. I learned this first hand on Sunday. My grandfather (affectionately known as “Pa”) passed away in April of 1987. As all favorite granddaughters know, it’s a tough loss. After his funeral, my “Granny” gave me his small silver cross that he always carried in his change holder. It’s been in my wallet ever since that day.
This past Sunday when I opened my wallet it was gone. I searched high and low and everywhere I thought my wallet could have possibly been, with or without me but to no avail. I promptly sat down and cried. It was a heart-breaking loss.
How interesting that, after 24 years, losing something so small and seemingly meaningless in monetary value, could cause such a flood of emotion.
After that came the realization that even though it was gone, the love and memories I have of “Pa” are still there and I still miss him ~ proving once again that there is no time limit on grief.
I will go find another cross that will be mine in remembrance of “Pa” but it will never replace the one that is lost, which is true of the original man himself.
Tisha
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