Coping With Loss This Christmas
I know, this time of year is supposed to be happy and exciting. Getting together with family and friends, sharing gifts and laughs, drinking hot chocolate (or bbqing because it was definitely almost 70 degrees on Christmas Eve), continuing family traditions or creating new ones. This is usually my favorite time of the year, but this year it has caused me to spiral down a depressed hole. As many of you know, 2019 has been tremendously rough for me. I lost my uncle in March and I have not been the same ever since. My uncle played a major part of my life, and I have such a huge void without him. Today I would have went to my grandmother's and he would have screamed "LEXXXXXX!" at me as I walked through the door and handed me a few dollars. I'd then go on a chitlin mission for him & stop back by later on to drop them off.
This year, I'm not hearing him scream my name. I'm not hearing his laugh, or hearing him crack jokes. This is truly the hardest thing I've had to cope with, but I'm coping. Not as well as I hoped to, but I'm trying. I've cried almost everyday since his passing and the past week has been so tough. I have never felt a pain as bad as this...
So #ThriveTribe, if you're mourning a loss, know that you aren't alone this holiday season. I'm struggling, but I know my uncle is thriving now. His spirit is free, he isn't bound to a hospital bed anymore, & his quality of life is 100x better than it was on this Earth. My uncle would've been 55 on December 6th. I never thought I'd lose him this soon, but God had other plans.
My mom used to aggravate us by making us take 12928 pictures during family gatherings and now I understand why. Those pictures are everything to me now. #ThriveTribe, I ask that you cherish your loved ones. Love on them. Hug them. Talk to them. Keep them near and dear to your heart. Once they're gone...that's it. All you'll have is memories.
Enjoy your Christmas with the ones you love and for those of you coping with loss like I am, I am sending infinite amounts of love and light to you. Feel free to reach out if you just need to talk.
Happy Holidays & Keep Thriving,
-Ciera'