accepting jackie's death

ITS BEEN A WHILE MY DEAR SISTERS SINCE I WROTE.  MY LAPTOP CRASHED AND MY BEDROOM COMPUTER WAS SO SLOW I HAD NO PATENCE.   I SEE A THERAPIST NOW AND INCREASED MY MEDS BY A HALF IN THE AFTERNOON.   I HAD MY NIECES WEDDING ON OCTOBER 19TH AND I DID GET THROUGH IT BETTER THAN I THOUGHT I WOULD.   THEN I HAD MY NEPHEWS WEDDING IN WASHINGTON.  JACKIE AND MICHAEL WERE VERY CLOSE.  EVERYTHING WAS SO HARD FOR ME.  I CONSTANTLY FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO ACT.  I ALWAYS FEEL THAT I DON'T WANT TO MAKE ANYONE FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE IF I TALK ABOUT JACKIE.  I AM TIRED OF DOING THAT.  I PUSH MYSELF SO HARD EVERY DAY TO KEEP BUSY SO I DON'T THINK.   MY THERAPIST IS REALLY NICE AND SHE TOLD ME NOT TO PUSH SO HARD.  IF I NEED A DAY TO STAY IN BED AND JUST CRY TO DO IT.   BUT IM AFRAID THAT IT WILL JUST BE TOO EASY FOR ME TO STAY THAT WAY.    SOMETIMES I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF.   AT NIGHT SOMETIMES I WANT TO GET IN THE CAR AND DRIVE TO THE CEMETERY JUST SO I CAN BE CLOSER TO HER.  IF I FORGET FOR A WHILE, SHE WILL JUST POP INTO MY HEAD AND I GET THAT SICK FEELING BECAUSE IT HITS ME AGAIN THAT SHE'S NOT HERE. 
WHEN SHE FIRST DIED I USED TO GO OVER THAT NIGHT IN MY HEAD EVERY DAY. LIKE I WAS WATCHING A MOVIE.  FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS I JUST THOUGH OF MY 30 YEAR OLD DYING.  THEN I WAS WATCHING T.V. AND THERE WAS A COMMERCIAL ON WITH A FATHER WALKING A LITTLE GIRL TO THE BUS AND I VISIUALIZED JACKIE WHEN SHE WAS LITTLE AND ALL THOSE MEMORIES CAME FLOWING BACK.  MY LITTLE GIRL.  SHE DIED.  IT WAS ALL SO INICENT THEN.  WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT HER LIFE WOULD TAKE SUCH A HORRIBLE TURN AND BY 3O SHE WOULD BE WITH ME NO  LONGER.   THIS LOSS THAT WE HAVE IS SO PAINFUL AND NOT NORMAL.  SO HOW DO WE COPE.  SOMETIMES I DON'T WANT TO GET BETTER, NOT BECAUSE I FEEL GUILTY IF I LAUGH OR HAVE SOME FUN, BUT BECAUSE IT SHOUDN'T BE THIS WAY AND NOTHING IS WORSE THAN BURYING A CHILD SO WHY SHOULD I STOP MORNING HER OR GRIEVING OVER HER.  SHE WAS MY LIFE, MY BEST FRIEND AND I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT SHE DID.   MY THERAPIST UNDERSTANDS WHY JACKIE TOOK HER LIFE AND SHE TRIES TO MAKE ME UNDERSTAND.  LIVING WITH PHYSICAL PAIN AS LONG AS SHE DID AND THE DOCTORS COULDN'T HELP HER DROVE HER INTO A DEPRESSION AND ULTIMATELY SHE MADE A DECISION NOT TO LIVE WITH THAT PAIN ANYMORE.  YES I AM BETTER THAN I WAS, BUT I DON'T THINK MY NIGHTS WILL EVER CHANGE.  LYING IN BED, THINKING OF HER, TALKING TO HER.  BEGGING HER TO COME TO  ME.  AND SHE HAS., BUT TTHAT JUST LEAVES ME WANTING MORE.  I KNOW THAT I AM RAMBLING ON AND ON BUT ITS ONE OF THE NIGHTS.    LOVE YOU ALL GAIL

Replies

RememberKala
RememberKala

Oh Gail.....I\'m so sorry. I cry with you my friend. It\'s all so hard.

You are doing all you can, the best you can. I\'m glad you\'re seeing a therapist and it is helping.

I can only speak for myself and my own journey, but my reality is I will always grieve for my Kala....AND....I am living a good life, laughing, loving, traveling, and all the \"normal\" ups and downs of being human....while I grieve. For me it\'s not one or the other...it\'s not grieve or LIVE....it\'s finding MY healthy balance of expressing my truth and BEing in the moment of it all. Kala demands I live my life to the fullest. And I don\'t accept anything less of myself either. My smile and laughter and enjoyment of my human experience speaks loudly of my love and respect and determination to honor my child. She understands the tears...and those tears are necessary for healing too...but she\'d much rather see me happy. I owe it to her. I owe it to the rest of my family. And, I owe it to myself.
deleted_user
deleted_user

It\'s a bad movie, a bad script. This can\'t really have happened, can it? Not to MY daughter, not to MY daughter.

I know. Every word you wrote. I know.
Love, jill
MomofJosh
MomofJosh

WOW Teri, that is a knock out answer! Gail, I don\'t think I can add anything to what wisdom Teri gave you but want you to know I read your journey, and I hear your pain, and all of us are on this journey together. We walk beside you, some a little ahead and some a little behind but we are not on this journey alone. None of us could stand this torture alone so we come together here at FMO to look at our compass and find the path that is right for us.

Love to you and Jackie,
Leda
ter1
ter1

Yes I agree with what Teri said, it is not Live or Grieve it is Live and Grieve. That is what I have also come to, but the road here was very bumping and probably always will be. Tightest of hugs,
Namaste,
Terry
JennsMom66
JennsMom66

I agree with Jill....and Teri has stated very well what our reality is now
biowoman
biowoman

It is hard to believe that life will ever be more gentle...but I believe that it will. I think that you are learning how to live life without your daughter right here. It may not feel like you are figuring it out...but you are. For me there came a day...and it was at about the third year that I had to make a decision. And the decision for me was that I could not be as unhappy as I had been the previous years. So, I sought out things that once stirred my spirit...and tried them again. It is different for everyone...but I hope that you will be able to one day find a way to love life and live and honor your emotions and sorrow for your precious daughter. I hope this makes sense...Karen
BinkyH
BinkyH

I tried for the longest time to figure out \"why\" it happened, but for me, acceptance was the beginning of my true healing. And not just acceptance that it happened, but acceptance of the fact that I would forever have unanswered questions. And acceptance of the new \"normal\" that I have to live out for the rest of my life. And Gail, you do not ever have to stop mourning your daughter. I have gotten past the place where when I laugh out loud, it is followed by guilt. Took a long time, but I can do it now! :-) I can dance again with my co-workers and sing along with them and it doesn\'t hurt to do so. In fact, I think sometimes my Michael would be happy for me that we remember him and speak of him and hug on his special days and just etc! BTW, I work in a very close knit group of people
Peace
KandL
KandL

Gail, I wish you peace and as Teri said the ability to grieve and at the same time live..love to you and Jackie,Linda