Does grief ever take a break?

https://medium.com/@jencracchiola/does-grief-ever-take-a-break-67c2f46a7d69

I need a break.

I’ve lost people through the years but nothing was as life-changing as losing my parents in 2020.  No, it wasn’t COVID.  They were unexpected, heart-related deaths.  I don’t know which is easier…losing someone quickly or losing someone over time.  I imagine that grief still has to run its course.

There isn’t a single day that goes by that they do not weigh on my mind.  It might be a happy memory, triggered by a scent or a song.  It might be a smile from a photograph.  It might be a sad memory that bubbles up like their last day.  That may feel familiar.  That’s when you start to ruminate and get stuck in an endless loop.  Did I say “I love you” enough?  Did I talk to them versus text them enough?  Is there unfinished business?  Did they know I loved them?

Mother’s Day just passed.  Did I think about my Mom?  I did.  Honestly, I was sick and spent the day in bed sleeping and my waking hours were spent with my own kids as they showered me with love.  You know what?  I felt guilty.  I felt guilty for not thinking more about my own mother.  

Father’s Day is around the corner.  I know that this will also be a tough holiday.  I will have more time to think, to brood in my head over my own father.  

Birthdays and death anniversaries are tough.  That’s a given.  But the day-to-day as well can be tough on us too.  I can say that while I do think of them daily the good memories are starting to outweigh the sad memories. 

Grief doesn’t take a break.  We have to choose how we want to journey through it.

Please, take the time to call your loved ones.  Tell them you love them.

I believe my parents knew.