In a chapter of my book I mention my colleague Annabelle who worked so closely with me on some innovative programs we did in North Queensland over twenty years ago. We lost touch for a number of years but have recently caught up with each other. Strangely we became widows in the same year. She lost her husband Kim in June and then I lost my lovely Mick at the end of October.
She gave me the most wonderful book on grieving that I have ever seen. It is called “Tear Soup – a recipe for healing after loss”, written by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen. It compares our grieving process to the ingredients of a pot of soup and explains how we all grieve so differently and how some keep making their tear soup for too many years. I identified with the following passage so much:
“Grandy’s arms ached and she felt stone cold and empty. There were no words that could describe the pain she was feeling. What’s more, when she looked out of the window it surprised her to see how the rest of the world was going on as usual while her world had stopped.”
