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Share your thoughts on loss and grief

From the lens Death of a loved one.

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  • andreaberrios May 20, 2012 @ 1:18 am | delete
    Beautiful honor and very touching lens! I know how you feel. God bless you..and Angel Blessing!
  • quester May 5, 2012 @ 8:56 am | delete
    nicely done - shared in a way that all can feel your loss and know that it is a natural part of life - just a very hard one. Sorry for your losses
  • siobhanryan Apr 18, 2012 @ 4:43 pm | delete
    A very moving lens and a great tribute to your loved ones
  • Pinkchic18 Apr 13, 2012 @ 10:44 am | delete
    You've created a beautiful lens here. A few years ago I lost my close grandpa, a friend, a great uncle, and a neighbor all in about four months. I've been consciously aware that you can lose someone at any time, ever since. I was touched by your words here, because I know it is a very, very hard thing to get through. Granted, I haven't been put in your shoes - but somewhere similar, so you're not alone. Blessed by a squid angel.
  • Cari_Kay Apr 7, 2012 @ 1:55 pm | delete
    I lost a good friend to the flu. You never expect that! I still miss her so much! Very nice page here! I am sorry for your losses as well.
  • BethBuckley Apr 2, 2012 @ 11:39 am | delete
    Very beautiful, healing lens on universal topic. Thank you for sharing your story so that others may find peace and healing on their journey.
  • AussieWolf Mar 28, 2012 @ 4:19 pm | delete
    lost My mother and sister within 12 months. that was 7 years ago. Yet the pain is still as fresh as yesterday. Beautiful Lens.
  • awelldressedbullet Mar 15, 2012 @ 11:21 pm | delete
    Blessed by a Squidoo Angel who misses her mom very much.
  • Mairis Mar 15, 2012 @ 10:20 pm | delete
    :(
  • Upon-Request Feb 17, 2012 @ 9:32 am | delete
    My favorite line : With footsteps light, And laughter long
    (because I can so relate - my niece, sister and father all died between 2000-2011. More have followed). And as you wisely stated: Grieve takes as long as it takes.
  • naheedahsan Feb 14, 2012 @ 8:54 am | delete
    it is so difficult.
  • TheLittleCardShop Feb 8, 2012 @ 3:15 pm | delete
    Losing someone close to you and that you love so much is hard. I lost my mom on May last year it is still hard for me, not even a year yet. And as my birthday approaches it gets worse because I was born on her birthday and this will be the first without her. I also lost 3 close cousins at young age, they were all between 19 and 22. Ii is hard and guess we have to get over it even when it seems impossible. I miss my mom
  • sheezie77 Jan 22, 2012 @ 6:06 am | delete
    Thank you for sharing this! thumbs up
  • Tipi Jan 18, 2012 @ 6:45 pm | delete
    Returning to bless this labor of a loving heart...
  • kathysart Jan 12, 2012 @ 11:24 am | delete
    Ahh me where to start.. it is so difficult. I have had many losses and each one has been painful. In my family we lost 2 adults under 30, 2 children, and grand parents. I always kept thinking I saw them.. I would think "Oh there you are", but then I would remember that no, I would see them again as they had passed.. they were actually dead. It is a reminder that we will ALL one day die. I write poetry as well about it all.. that sadness that never leaves. Beautiful lens and heartfelt poetry. Angel blessed.
  • VillaDejaBlue Jan 11, 2012 @ 7:01 pm | delete
    Nice lens.
  • CanInsure Dec 29, 2011 @ 5:32 pm | delete
    This too shall pass is an uplifting statement. I have another for you; "The only thing you can count on is change." I live by this. I have lost people I have loved and I believe that everything happens for a reason. I hope you have begun to heal. Nice tribute to your loved ones.
  • WeddingZazzle Dec 18, 2011 @ 3:01 am | delete
    Sorry for your loss. Blessed by a Squid Angel :)
  • Ruthi Nov 25, 2011 @ 7:45 pm | delete
    Your poetry and prose on this page show the depth of your emotions, your compassion for others. Indeed, this too shall pass, but we are forever changed.
  • mrducksmrnot Nov 12, 2011 @ 11:48 pm | delete
    Loss of any loved one is always hard. We must carry on with Life and let how they shaped and helped us live on in our life as we do the same. This is part of healing to me.
  • MARTINEZ MARTIN Oct 26, 2011 @ 3:12 pm | delete
    DEATH IS NORMAL BUT HOW CAN I GET OVER THE ONE I LOVE
  • karmicchristian Oct 4, 2011 @ 12:46 pm | delete
    My dad passed away more than 20 year ago and I have seen many close friends lose theirs or their partners! IMO, death is not to be scared of! We tend to miss the loss of the loved ones, more so in selfish ways I figure! I've been through NDE (near death experience) and so am scared no more! :)
    I wish you much love and great strength though, as your work is significantly beautiful and deserves all the respect! :)
  • JanTUB Sep 29, 2011 @ 6:19 pm | delete
    It's difficult to know what to say. Sadness, joy, recovery, they're all mixed together. Thanks for sharing.
  • gottaloveit Sep 25, 2011 @ 7:05 am | delete
    I wish I was a squid angel so I could bless this lens. It's very beautifully written. It's obvious, through your poetry, the depth of emotion you were feeling and probably still feel. My sister died at 36 and my dad died at 89 five years ago. I'm my 94 year old Mom's caregiver and joyful every single day she's with me. Thanks for your wonderful insights. Adding this to my When Death Looms lens. It's a great complement.
  • debnet Sep 14, 2011 @ 8:32 am | delete
    Blessed by a Squid Angel ;)
  • whoisbid Sep 4, 2011 @ 10:19 am | delete
    My mum died just over two years ago and last month my father died. They were both quite young and no-one expected them to die at that age. I am now without parents. To be honest I feel very sad and for a while it was overwhelming sadness, especially when I spent the last 3 weeks of my father's life taking care of him. I don't think that I will ever get over losing my parents because they were like angels to me. What does encourage me is I know somehow they are still around but this is something too wonderful to grasp at times because I am just a mortal living in a broken and messed up world. When I can glimpse the possibility of seeing them again my heart becomes glad. Yes! We will see our loved ones again.. that I know for sure but I can't prove it to anyone ;)
  • 24websurf Aug 29, 2011 @ 10:29 am | delete
    Very touching and my heart goes out to you. Many times sharing the stories helps with the grief. Thank you for sharing :)
  • Cajohnson Aug 17, 2011 @ 1:44 pm | delete
    Dealing with death of a loved one is not easy. My dad died in June and my son was murdered 30 days later, in July. I never thought for one moment that I could sit here today and write about such back to back losses. I remember crying so hard for when I lost my dad. We were very close and I couldn't see living without my dad. He was my all. But 30 days later, I forgot that he died. I just remember the knife that went through my heart from the news of my son. I'm better, much better... I don't know how I got here or when I arrived. All I can say is I am better and still healing everyday. I can admit however, that writing about them over and over and over again is a key factor to getting the healing process going when you lose a loved one...
  • Jewelsofawe Aug 17, 2011 @ 1:57 pm | delete
    Wow! I am sorry to hear that you have had this happen! My heart goes out to you!
  • SeanVernall Aug 4, 2011 @ 2:44 am | delete
    I lost my mother to cancer in 1998, a week before our birthday (we shared the same birthday). I was turning 26 and she was turning 67. As with your step-father it was a relatively short process from diagnosis to her departure (4 months). You poems really express what I was feeling at the time, and how I continue to feel to this day. Thank you.
  • julietarot Jun 29, 2011 @ 6:27 am | delete
    The stages of grief are helpful to know about as you can experience such a rush of different emotions.The loss feels awful and almost indescribable. Memories are such precious things.I put all my photos of my dad in an album and that helped.
  • TapIn2U Jun 18, 2011 @ 1:54 am | delete
    Each one of us have our own ways of grieving. Your poems are very touching. I'm glad you shared this to us. Hugs to you! Sundae ;-)
  • debnet Jun 4, 2011 @ 2:48 am | delete
    I'm glad you've listed the stages of grief and loss. As you say, it all takes different people different lengths of time to go through. I had some very sad news yesterday so I found this lens very reassuring. Blessed by a Squid Angel ;)
  • davidcompass May 17, 2011 @ 6:49 am | delete
    Great Lens! I really liked the way you used writing poems to cope with loss of your loved ones.Thank you for the courage to share.
  • yourgoldenfuture Apr 20, 2011 @ 1:40 pm | delete
    wonderful lens...
  • Margo_Arrowsmith Apr 19, 2011 @ 7:04 pm | delete
    I have lensrolled this to "Hospice: It Saved My Dad and Gave My Mother a Good Death"
  • awakeningwellness Apr 7, 2011 @ 12:00 pm | delete
    Your poems are all so beautiful and such wonderful tributes to your loved ones...giving you a big hug today! :)
  • Michey Apr 3, 2011 @ 6:34 pm | delete
    Very nice tribute for people in your life...
    I lost my husband 6 years ago (cancer) and since then I just get through all stages, I am at acceptance now, but it still hurt.
    Regards
    Michey
  • sallemange Apr 2, 2011 @ 3:24 am | delete
    Very touching. My partner's father died last week. He was a such a friend to me and I miss him hugely.
  • Ladymermaid Apr 1, 2011 @ 3:31 pm | delete
    Thank you for sharing this very emotional moments. Blessed.
  • blue22d Mar 25, 2011 @ 9:34 pm | delete
    My heart and hugs go out to you. I lost my husband of 42 years September 3, 2010. Several years ago I lost my sister and aunt. My worst year was having my brother-in-law, my dad and my husband's best friend die within three weeks. Only God through time and family and friends heals. Great lens, well needed. Squid blessing to you.
  • darciefrench Mar 9, 2011 @ 12:06 am | delete
    Came by to give you a virtual hug - much love to you.
  • Jewelsofawe Mar 9, 2011 @ 12:14 am | delete
    Ah, thank you Darcie!
  • jvsper63 Mar 8, 2011 @ 11:04 pm | delete
    It must have been hard to write this lens. I am sorry for all your loses.I never lost a baby I have had many loses. My mom died at 53. I was 15. My nephew died at 33 .A year and a half after that my sister also died at 53 his mom. The same age as my mom was when she died. That was really hard because she was like my mom. There is a 20 yr. difference from first born to my youngest brother so she was 16 yrs older then me. And I had to watch her suffer through her son's visious murder. Before she died. Really special lens.That you are sharing with us. I wish you the best life can bring to you...Joni
  • Tipi Feb 23, 2011 @ 11:03 am | delete
    You have me all misty eyed here....so sweetly done. I could feel the love in your poems and Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On is perfect here. We lost my Dad to malignant melanoma and I still miss him. There was a year when people I cared about and loved kept passing, it was endless loss that brought me low. Poetry is a wonderful outlet in our grief, lensrolled to my poetry lens and about to feature this labor of love. Thank you!
  • Cajean Feb 6, 2011 @ 4:38 pm | delete
    I lost my grandpa when I was seven, my 18 year old brother when I was ten, but the hardest was losing my dad last year. He made it to 90, and I do have peace in my heart that he's in the presence of the Lord. I think of him everyday and really miss caring for his daily needs for two years. I wouldn't trade that growing-closer time with him for anything, and I'm looking forward to being together again one day. Thank you for your thoughtful Lens and for sharing your heart!
  • CofCJenny Feb 3, 2011 @ 7:34 am | delete
    You learn to live with the loss, but I don't care what anyone says. It never gets easier. The more time that passes the more I would give anything for my loved ones to still be here. But life goes on...
  • artbymichelle Jan 31, 2011 @ 7:20 pm | delete
    My cousin was murdered in 1998 & I lost my Aunt to lung cancer in 1999. It is very hard to deal with losing people you love. Very touching lens!
  • LissaKlar Jan 29, 2011 @ 7:06 pm | delete
    My 3-week-old niece died of SIDS in 2008 it was awful. Thanks for sharing your story.
  • Heather426 Jan 29, 2011 @ 5:47 pm | delete
    I've lost too many loved ones and it never gets easier. Parents, 2 sisters, and my best friend. It changes you forever.
  • Pantherart Jan 29, 2011 @ 5:09 pm | delete
    It is sad when you loss a loved one. I have a grandniece that just passed away at the age of 17 due to cancer. And that hit me really hard, burying our grandkids hits us older folks harder then someone our own age.
  • kidsandbibs Jan 29, 2011 @ 12:33 pm | delete
    Death of a loved one is the most painful thing in this world. I know how it feels.. my brother died when he was just 19.. those days were really painful.. i searched the net reading about souls, reincarnation, NDE and read many books.. some by Dr. Brian Weiss. My bro's site is http://www.thefrozenmemories.com
  • sunita Dec 20, 2010 @ 6:30 am | delete
    Death is the greatest reality.It is important to carry forward good work done by our loved ones.
  • javrsmith Dec 18, 2010 @ 5:23 pm | delete
    We often share our grief which helps. This lens has been blessed by a Squid Angel.
  • KokoTravel Dec 18, 2010 @ 12:50 pm | delete
    I have lost many dear people in my life... my brother, dad, grandson, grandmother, uncles and aunts, friends and even pets, who have been like children to me. It doesn't get easier as there is always a piece missing. But I still talk to my loved ones, as if they can hear me and sometimes, in my dreams, I seem to get a response from them.

    Life is strange and none of us knows what the future brings for any of us.
  • Stazjia Sep 16, 2010 @ 5:51 am | delete
    It's brave of you to share your feelings on the death of loved ones. Blessed by an Angel.
  • ccgala4 Aug 29, 2010 @ 1:39 am | delete
    Losing someone dear to you is never easy. After losing a close loved one, I found funeral poems to be of some comfort to me during the bereavement time. There is something about the eloquence of its words and the way it reached my soul for comfort.

    Thanks for sharing, it was a very touching lens!
  • BarbRad Apr 28, 2010 @ 4:14 pm | delete
    Thanks for letting me know about this lens. I was touched by your poems. my dad died at 70 of cancer -- just five months after a successful bypass surgery. He developed a tooth ache, double vision and just generally felt sick. The eye doctor and dentist sent him to his regular doctor to get an OK before treating him, and at the ER they discovered the lymphoma. Two weeks later he was gone. Guess it was a very aggressive form. So I know some of the grief you felt when you lost your step dad. I will also lensroll this to Being There for a Dying Loved one. I am truly sorry for all the loses you have suffered.
  • LoKackl Mar 22, 2010 @ 4:01 pm | delete
    Thanks for sharing this story. Don't know how I missed it before. 5*/fav/roll to bereaved-children (my new 100percent charity lens to benefit Ryans Heart -- to help kids heal after death of a loved one). You're one of the heavy lifters jewelsofawe!
  • ottoblotto Jan 28, 2010 @ 12:51 pm | delete
    Lovely lens - I have lensrolled it to my Gifts for Grieving Families.
  • newbizmau Jan 24, 2010 @ 11:56 am | delete
    Very touching story. And now you are dealing with another. I feel for you. My thought are with you. Thanks for sharing the steps of grief. I can recognize them in my own life and even in relationship separations. It's surely something I'll remember.
  • jgelien Oct 26, 2009 @ 1:34 am | delete
    Thank you for sharing your poignant story. I had never lost anyone close before I lost my parents. There is no preparation for that. Your poem is lovely and heart-wrenching. Your stepdad and dad were very blessed to have you as their daughter.
  • Ramkitten Oct 25, 2009 @ 4:14 pm | delete
    My father died of esophogal cancer as well. He was 82. It was extremely difficult to see what he went through. There was a time when he thought he might have "beaten it," so to speak, but we quickly realized he hadn't at all.

    I've not lost anyone else close to me, but I've witnessed grief a number of times in Search and Rescue, as recently as two nights ago. It's difficult to watch people's lives change so suddenly with the death of someone they love.
  • happynutritionist Oct 21, 2009 @ 10:19 pm | delete
    This lens caught my eye as this week I'm remembering the passing of both my Mother-in-law, and my Dad, who passed within 8 days of each other...I mention it a bit on my "Seeing Jesus for the First Time" lens.

    Thanks for visiting and your comment on the lens my Yorkie, Aspen did ;-), the Yorkie Pictures and Art lens. She's real excited that you took the time to say hi.

    ~claudia
  • Askyourquestion Aug 18, 2009 @ 10:36 pm | delete
    Very nice lens! You've put together a great collection of information and resources on a sensitive topic. I'd love it if you'd stop by my lens on dying smart and say hello when you have a chance.
  • vonnie Mar 17, 2009 @ 10:22 pm | delete
    i lost my mother on 2-17-09 and it has been one of the worst things i have ever had to deal with i just can not seem topfunction and go on i take it one minute at a time i spend most of my time crying and greiving it has made me realizethat i am not alone reading your alls comments thank you and god help everyone vonnie in kentucky
  • Tiddledeewinks Feb 22, 2009 @ 7:44 pm | delete
    Sorry for your having to suffer such loss. I lost my mom to breast cancer (age 73) in 1994, and my dad (age 100) in 2004. My best friend (Old English Sheepdog) was my greatest loss in Nov.2007. My heart still aches. I know we all have questions about why we must love so much, to lose it all and suffer the emptiness of missing those we love so much.I know divorce is also for some of us like a death, too. Some people just don't try to understand our grief.
  • Mickie_G Feb 13, 2009 @ 12:28 pm | delete
    I lost my little sister when I was 11 and she was three. I learned a lot about myself from this experience.

    I also lost my husband to cancer when he was 45 and I was 44. I went to a grief recovery support group. This was the very best thing I did to help myself through this trying time. No one understands losing a spouse better than another widow or widower.

    The best advice you gave on this lens is the quote about "This too will pass." It does pass. The feelings do not go away, but it gets better as time goes by.
  • spirituality Jan 3, 2009 @ 2:46 am | delete
    Great lens about a difficult topic. Must have been hard to loose your stepdad so young.
  • Shelly Dec 8, 2008 @ 11:09 pm | delete
    Hello, I'm Tipi's sister & just noticed you visited her yesterday--I tend to visit people who visit her or that she features now and then. We lost our Dad to malignent malanoma too many years ago. I appreciate how you personalized the 5 stages of grief--I've never seen them presented better. A lovely, sensitive lens.
  • PaulHassing Dec 7, 2008 @ 6:15 pm | delete
    A very moving lens. Strange how losing my mum also led me to write a poem at www.surrealshortstories.com/the-onset-of-grief . You may also find www.liferal.com interesting. It's a word I invented: the opposite of funeral. Thanks for your lens, and for visiting mine. Best regards and more power to you! P. :)
  • WendyKrick Nov 13, 2008 @ 6:49 am | delete
    Jewel this is a wonderful lens. I love the way you write from the heart.
  • Crystal Granite Nov 12, 2008 @ 6:17 pm | delete
    As I read your lens I could feel for you, I lost my father when I was 11 and he was 39. I too have a lost a baby in the second trimester. Through all my sorry and sadness I never lost sight that one day I would be OK. It has taken many years & a ton of tears but I can finally say I AM OK. Thank you for sharing. I have a poem on my page about my fathers death if you'd like to check it out.

    http://www.myspace.com/crystalgranite
  • WhiteOak50 Nov 11, 2008 @ 7:00 am | delete
    This is a beautifully written lens and such a loving dedication. Thank you for sharing that part of yourself with us.
  • mulberry Nov 10, 2008 @ 10:22 pm | delete
    Loss and grief are very, very difficult, but it's something we all experience. I know when my father was killed in a car accident I lost my best friend only a week later following a surgery. Understanding the process and having the experience of going through it helped me to know I could make it through again. Thanks for making this lens.
  • Pantherart Nov 10, 2008 @ 3:11 pm | delete
    This a beautiful lens Jewel you sure picked the right name for your self and your family sure are blessed to have you in their lives
  • OhMe Nov 6, 2008 @ 5:19 pm | delete
    Beautiful lens and beautiful poetry. I am lensrolling to my Thanksgiving Prayer - A Family Tradition.
  • ElizabethJeanAllen Sep 15, 2008 @ 4:35 pm | delete
    A beautiful dedication. Losing someone close to you has to be one of the hardest things to go through.
    Lizzy
  • ThomasC Sep 4, 2008 @ 4:10 pm | delete
    I think your angels in heaven need a blessing! I love your poems! Great stuff! Blessing it for you!
    ThomasC
  • Tiddledeewinks Aug 31, 2008 @ 6:54 pm | delete
    I lost a baby in miscarriage at a young age. I lost my mom 14 years ago and my dad at age 100, 4 years ago. I lost a beloved dog years ago and wrote a poem about it and lost many pets over the years. The most pain I still carry is over my beloved Old English Sheepdog, Tobie almost 1 year ago. I made a lens then about-Do Animals Go To Heaven? The pain I suffer now is this- I divorced 12 years ago, then remarried 3 years ago, but my ex is constantly taking me to court to "get even" by using my boys and now threatens to destroy our home schooling, since he couldn't "break up the marriage". Any helping thoughts out there from other home schoolers?
  • Jewelsofawe Aug 26, 2008 @ 11:40 am | delete
    Thank you for your kind words GypsyOwl
  • GypsyOwl Aug 26, 2008 @ 11:32 am | delete
    Jewels (Patricia),

    You are such a beautiful soul!

    Thank you for this compassionate and heartwarming dedication to loss of loved ones. Grief is such a personal experience that sometimes we forget that the basics are universal. It really helps to connect and to realize that we are not alone in our loss AND we are not alone in the process of moving forward on purpose and with an enlightened awareness of gratitude for the time we had with our loved ones and the time we still have with all those left behind to carry on.

    Kindness, GypsyOwl

by

Jewelsofawe

I write poetry. My poetry is available at amazon. Two of my books are Jewels of Awe and Poetry for and from the Soul. You can see some of my poetry... more »

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