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The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

It's the first day of winter - lovely weather - and it's a lovely day today too - but I feel as if I am walking through deep water - or something very dense -

It happens every year - and this year I have done well - perhaps it has been unusually sunny and mild - and perhaps having joined this website - and throw in the psychologist - I have managed better - but yesterday - aaahh - that was a bad day and I am not sure if I turned my computer on - of if I did - I just wasn't capable of reading properly - I could not respond

It was not the best day of my life - but not the worst either

So it's all about my son dying and the circumstances - and I rang Life Line and talked to a wonderful woman there for quite a long time - and at the end I was exhausted.

I can't put the afternoon back together - it was too early for my medication but I stretched out on my bed and slept - at some stage I woke up and took my medication thinking I would not sleep - but did - and woke early which was fine - but it gave me a lot of time to think

What I had talked about with the lady at Life Line was the story I tell myself over and over - I did my best without support - and it the lack of support that made it all so hard. I would imagine that parents would care about their children having trouble with a badly-wired child who was always in trouble - and would care and follow through with all they could - and I have proved that I helped my son until he died - but mine didn't

It's terrible that my son died - it is terrible when any young person died - and I am pretty sure my son would not have lived a long life anyway - but the failure of family help - and the man I married who wanted a son so badly did not help - could not help - and the criticism of so many people - church people too - about this uncontrollable child - it tears me up -

This morning I wondered how I lived through each day - and I thought about my life now - and I live one day at a time - and these memories are so hard to live with. I understand people who have limitations - but I cannot understand how a whole family can turn on one member with a serious problem

They blamed me at the time - before he died Dad told me I had done something he could not have done - and except for a short time really Dad and I were always on good terms - and Dad has been gone quite some time

But still - I am outside of most things - I get on well with people - but alas - those memories curse me - and I don't want them - but they are here

And I am safe myself - but as the anniversary of my son's death gets nearer - I feel damned when I know in my mind and my heart - I did all I could for this damaged child - and I don't feel any guilt

After all - I have thought about it all these years - and of course - I think about him every day - why should I not

Decadian 😞

60 replies

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In response to: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Hey @Decadian, thoughts and strength are with you.

In response to: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

@Former-Member

❤❤❤

In response to: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Ah yes @Former-Member

It is amazing that there are people here who have so much in common - I think God I found this site

I can't imagine how traumatic it was for you to have your little girl die in your arms like that - though I know that this is the most important thing that ever happened - which means - this is the event that has defined you more than any other - and this is how I see the death of my son - and although we can not compare the experiences - we have developed the insight afforded bereaved parents that enables those who unwillingly and unwarned - enter our ranks

And we wish that no one ever did have this happen - one reason I left the Compassionate Friends many years ago - I could bear that children kept dying -

But years have passed and as well as stages of grief I have found that there are different stages in the passage of time - and thirty years is nearly twice my son's life time - which is weird

But to be holding your little girl when she fought for her last breath - that is something that really pulls me up. You saw this happening - that memory must be unbearable.

In the past couple of days I have realised what a huge task I accomplished - it was heartbreaking watching his self-desructive behaviour getting worse - and when I had the chance I made sure he had not died in vain - and now

Ah - my mother - enough said - and my sister - right - both failed on their loyalies to family members. Who needs them

We have both had a tough serve through life - I believe this makes us better people - but

But but but

How much easier life would have been with out all of this - and yet - I would not go back and make it different - what I believe it that it is all part of a whole

And I am waffling - I think I should not be looking at a screen right now - stubborn headache and all that

Decadian - starting to feel better

In response to: Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

@Decadian

❤️❤️❤️

In response to: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Hi @Decadian,

Thanks for your empathy & kind words, even with your headache.

Broken & lost relationships are the hardest to bare in life, for me anyway.

Thinking about my girls last moments still tares me apart. No counsellor will let me walk through it with them. Guess only my girl, God, 1& i know how it was that night, & memory can do strange things to us.

I feel blessed to have meet you here, a path different but the same.

As F&H would say, just "keep on swimming"

Post again tomorrow, pleasant dreams🌷

In response to: Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Ah @Former-Member

How deep that is - no councellor will walk through those last moments with your only daughter with you - I would - I would stay as long as it took - which would not be all at the same time - but for whatever reason - I know that even those trained for the work cannot carry those terrible memories - you and I and a million others since Eve have walked through that dark place - and here we are -

I am feeling so much better today - it's weird - we have had such beautiful weather lately - and today it is raining it's eyes out - and I feel better. I woke up to take my medication - and seeing as it's Saturday and I can please myself - I stayed in bed with my book and went back to sleep - and relieve that this time the bad time has passed. Who knows what sets me off?

My case plan for the help I get to live alone with my chronic pain is that I should be able to manage with the least amount on stress with council help - yet the council is the source of so much on-going stress in my life - and it's a story I need not tell - but during the week I was pushed to my limit and found myself in a psychological mess I am so often told I should not have - and yet I am a strong woman and will not let people get past telling me I should not have this

But you know - your councellors have not been able to walk through your last hours with your daughter - I have a huge story - and I am told similar things

So it seems to me that many people are cut off at the ankles to really find help with their story - and imo - anger is a powerful - double-edged sword - that can destroy but also be a fire that burns but does not destroy -

And I have that fire - I find it cleanses - and I know I would never have survived into later life without it

But how glad I am for the support of the people - on-line friends - in this site - over the last few days

Decadian

In response to: Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

@Former-Member @Decadian

Big warm hugs to both of you ......... ❤️❤️❤️

Very tough emotional ground, and your empathy is huge.

In response to: Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

@Faith-and-Hope

I so love that pic of the Japanese Macaques cuddling each other

I love those monkeys - when I had a holiday in Launceston last year I found a troupe in a park of Brisbane Street - in this troupe they didn't have to cuddle up to keep warm in pleasant spring weather but in Japan they have a very strict rank-order and the lower ranks monkeys are not allowed in the warm pool in winter

And as cut off from most of my family as I have been - I appreciate the cuddles - but long ago I learned to endure ostracism - and this is not easy

I forget really if it was Wednesday or Thursday last week when I fell into an almighty hole - I can get set off by stressful situations - and it was interesting to read that so many people could not identify with my experiences - some do - but still wrote wonderful sensitive messages - it meant so much - my dear daughter is my friend as well but does not understand that there are somethings that need to be talked about - and a person needs only to listen - and so many of you did - and this was much appreciated

I will fall into another one of my holes again - I have worked out that my mother was a sad case - and had a really rotten childhood - and for some reason took it out on my younger brother and me - but I know that if a person has not experienced ill-treatment of physical or emotional abuse from that person they don't want to know and they don't understand and it is worse than useless to try and explain it to them.

But child abuse is wrong - and I have every right to be angry with my mother - but still - something inside me knows it is an echo of a past event when a well-remembered attack made me turn on my mother - and her physical attacks stopped and turned into emotional abuse as I grew taller - and stronger - so I know my anger is from years of keeping my grief about this to myself - and it is the internal pain and misery I experienced that took my self-esteem coming out and healing me

How do I know this? With all my anger I never feel as if I would ever harm my mother - I can see how she was - and I stilll pray for her - wherever she is now - that she can be healed

But I don't know - I do believe in life after death - but I have no idea what form that will take and I don't really think we have family reunions - though we might

So why do we say "Never speak ill of the dead"? - I think it might be because they can hear us - and I hope my mother can - because then she will know - the anger that enabled me to survive what happened is healing me - clearing out the damage - and that I have always loved her and always seen her sorry state

I hope this is the truth

Decadian

In response to: Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Hi @Decadian

I will be out at church for a little while now, and sorting lunch for my tribe after that ...... but I hear you and will get back to you la bit later today when opportunity presents itself.

By the way, I ❤️❤️❤️ the Marmoset monkeys. Will see if I can find one to post for you later.

Be well 💌

In response to: Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

Re: The Days are Getting Harder to Get Through

That would be fantastic @Faith-and-Hope

I love monkeys - they are so cute and clever

I've got a cat that is cute and clever too - and she's getting on in years - and so clued up

I never knew that living one-on-one with a cat for now 12.5 years could result in my having a very naughty cat - but I love every minute of her

Decadian

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