A blog about my adventures as a grief warrior

Tag: #brokenheart

Eternity is Ours

The police came to our door on a Tuesday morning, bringing devastating news that no parent ever could imagine receiving.

“On behalf of Zane…”

What do you mean ‘on behalf’?

“…. there was a collision, he was killed….”

NO. NO. NO.

That was eight years ago. My heart shattered into sharp, angry shards of glass.  I have tried putting it back together since.  It is a mosaic at best with large cracks that metaphorically are supposed to let the light in. I think that these cracks let the whole universe in. I know that my heart will never be the same. My cardiologist agrees.    

How can my beautiful boy be gone for that long? I continue to wait as if in some magical Hollywood moment, he will return. I search for him everyday in the face of strangers, in the places he enjoyed. When my mind tries to say he is gone, my heart says different. He is still somewhere.

Zane shared with me a quote: “In some other life, we are standing and laughing, that in some other life, we are apart.” This ideal that we are together somewhere, brings me comfort.

No parent ever gets over the unnatural order of their child leaving earth first. Life becomes a search to find the elixir to keep present for our other loved ones, our own lives, and for the legacy of our child. I have found time does not make it easier. It does not soften the fact that there are no more physical hugs. Time becomes the biggest tease, and part of grieving is finding a way to endure this.

Over the last years I have clung to the ideal that our loved ones are not truly gone. I have immersed myself in courses that teach how to connect to the other realm, to recognize angel signs. It has led me to a desire to be more comfortable with the unknown. To understand and share with others, that death is not the end.

The belief that we are energy and that energy cannot be destroyed is the only scientific fact that I hold in my heart. If this can be true, as even Albert Einstein believed, then my son is still here. And albeit different, I can still have a close relationship with him. Forever.

The evidence is in the signs; a saying that comes across my computer when I am thinking of him. The small feathers that float out of nowhere to land in front of my path. The dragonfly that flies next to me on my walk. The scent of his cologne late at night or our song playing on the radio. 

These are confirmations, celestial proof our children are still here. Messages from heaven are felt by the soul; the foundation to keeping us connected to our loved ones. For eternity. Death cannot subdue this.

There is consolation in the belief that Zane and I have a connection that will stand the test of time. We experienced this life as mother and son and I believe we will find each other in the next life. In the meantime, I will continue patching my mosaic heart, trusting that love never dies, it holds us tight. We are bound for eternity, morning, noon and night.

My Broken Valentine

This Valentine’s Day we shook it up. The decades-old tradition of having a heart-shaped Boston pizza was replaced with an adventure to a new restaurant in a funky community of our city. We enjoyed a pre-drink at a nearby bar and met up with family to enjoy a night of libations and good Italian food.  Yes, the boys had pizza. I chose a Caesar salad. All in all, the night was worthy of the pre-planning fuss.

Also new to this year’s celebration was a Galentine happy hour with a couple of my closest friends. A wonderful evening where we ‘got real’ with each other related to our dreams and fears of our own life and that of our children.

As I packed away the décor, and the cards received, I thought about my heart, the heart of my sweet friends, the heart of my family and wondered if our true Valentine might not be another person but rather our own heart. How do we nurture our heart?  How do we honor our own capacity to receive and to give love. If your heart was a person, what would you say to it?

To My Broken Heart,

Every day, with every breath, I know you are broken. I recognize you are the carrier of the pain of all my losses. You did not cause the anguish I live with and yet, you continue to beat within me. Shattered, you continue to bring life to me each morning.

Most days I am filled with anger, raising your temper to remind me that I must slow down, I must rest or you will explode. I am aware that you are struggling with my inability to listen and yet you don’t give up on me.  You continue to beat.

Some days I can feel a tiny spark from you that wakes my soul. Those moments are my favorite, the quiet ones where alone, I sense this light. The light where the hope you are offering peeks through. A gentle soft glow connecting me to the other realm, to those I have lost.  Yours is a crowded place of many loved ones to which you embrace each of their spirit within you.

I am aware that you, my dear heart, are the source of energy to keep love alive. Broken and bruised, you continue to have me experience small moments of joy to be found in nature or in conversation with a good friend. These moments I find myself smiling. I believe these glimpses are what sustains you, the recognition of my soul wanting more.

More of what may heal you. More quiet connections, more rest, more inward conversations with you. More gratitude for you, continuing to go on despite all the challenges you face. My sweet, faithful heart, thank you for all that you do that gives me another day.

In grief we talk about the potential results, the agony of living with an angry broken heart. Science doesn’t need to tell us that it brings illness, both mental and physical. We live with it. Perhaps if we could see our torn-up heart as a Valentine, rather than a body muscle, our attitude could shift. Giving our heart a persona, giving gratitude that this Valentine is always here, ensuring we are here.

Our heart, a Valentine that carries for us, both grief and love. A Valentine that holds our secrets and dreams. A Valentine that brings us the opportunity to feel all the surrounding wonders of this life. That is a Valentine to celebrate each year.  

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