Mourning Has Broken

Today is my Dad's birthday. He died in February last year and I can't believe so much time has passed since the last time I saw him. If you've visited my website, http://www.springtolife.co.uk/, and have read some of my story, this may be confusing. This is my second Dad I refer to, my Godfather, whose family my brother and I went to live with after our parents died in a car accident when I was 10 years old.

When I realised it was his birthday today, I was surprised at how quickly I felt the emotion of losing and missing him. He was my Rock, a larger than life character who always made an impressive impact on the people he met. He always knew what was going on in the lives of his 5 children and their families and I miss the security of his protective presence, his great bear hugs, and even his grumpiness! (He was known as Growler to his grandchildren!) Tomorrow we will contribute the loudest rocket we can find to the firework display at his local pub, as he always did.

In the same year, we also lost both of my elderly grandmothers, so it was a tough year. Losing elderly grandparents, who have perhaps become tired of living and who have lived long lives, is a different grief to suddenly and unexpectedly losing someone younger. However, I am enormously grateful for all the Love I will always have in my heart from my Dad, and also that he didn't suffer a long illness, that he left as the larger than life character that everyone knew and loved him for.

Grief has been one of the biggest challenges in my life, as I explain in the two parts of my story on my website. Sometimes it can seem like a snake bite which just adds a little more poison to a wound. Knowing how deeply I have buried my grief in the past, and the physical impact this can have, I was hugely grateful to find a fabulous book earlier this year, called Mourning Has Broken, by Carmella B'Hahn.

Carmella's book is a series of stories of bereavement and adversity, and how each individual overcame the impact of their experiences. I was particularly struck by Carmella's own story, which helped me to face the devastation of my Dad's death with some positivity. Each story gave me something new to reflect upon and helped me to feel part of the World community, accepting that loss and grief are parts of the human experience.

If you'd like to order a copy of her book, and hear more about her work, visit Carmella's website at http://www.solacealchemy.com/