Grieving The Loss of a Friend: In Honor of My Y Buddy, Robin

We all know somewhere in our being, that one day we will die.  Our hope is to live a long, healthy life with little or no regrets.

The deaths that are really hard on us all are:  the death of children and young people, people who have died unexpectedly from illness, accidents, murder or suicide.  These shock our systems and shake us up profoundly.  We are not prepared in any way for these people to no longer be with us.  Sometimes we get numb and then as the numbness wears off, we feel the pain of the loss of this person.

So what is it like to lose a friend?  When a good friend dies, it is like part of our heart gets crushed.  We no longer can count on that person to share life with.  That person who you could laugh and cry with, is gone.  That friend is not a family member and so sometimes that loss gets discounted by the people around you.

Do not discount your feelings around this loss, take care of yourself, take time to grieve.  Find safe places to share your sense of loss and heart break.  Do not let anyone tell you how to feel and how long you should grieve.  This is your loss and everyone is different and has a different time table of how long the grief will grab you.

Grief is strange, it is a roller  coaster ride of emotions and you don’t always know when you will feel it.  Know that you are not alone, there are caring people out there who will support you.