What You Don't Know About Grief.....

 What you don't know about grief, love, and loss is that, for me, there was so much to be grateful for.

Standing in the wake lines at both my parent's funerals, I heard so many stories of the impact they had on others' lives. The bartender at the bowling alley where my dad and his friends sometimes went after work told me she had been a single mom in the 70's and 80's and my dad would slip her extra money. The grey haired guy who told me my dad was his first boss and he remembered how good and helpful he was. His first annual review was with my dad. So many people from his work came and told me stories about my dad. I got a deeper glimpse into how he helped the folks he worked with.

For my mom, they often talked about the gift and frame store she owned. How talented she was with creating flower arrangements. How much she smiled. And that they never remember her saying a bad word about anyone.

They all said how proud our parents were of us kids. The three of us. And how much they loved us.

What you don't know about grief is that it in some ways it has given me courage to live a life that is mine.