Expressing Sympathy to Others
Thursday, July 31st, 2008
“Grief is so
painfully real, regardless of its origin. The love of,
and attachment to,
an animal friend can equal that of human relationships.
Likewise, the loss
of an animal can be just as devastating.”
Rev. Joel L. Morgan
Hello friends:
The following post is taken from the new eBook that will be coming out soon on grieving the loss of a pet. We will keep you posted.
The stories that have come in from people just like you have been incredible.
One of the toughest
communications for some people is to how to offer sympathy. That is why so many people say nothing at
all. It is not that they are uncaring,
rather they care so much, they don’t want to add to your pain or make you feel
worse.
I was surprised at how many
of the submissions I received talked about lack of support in the
workplace. Then I remembered twenty
years ago when my brother JAllen was killed in a horrible industrial accident.
Working at a local weekly
newspaper at the time, my boss was also a friend and the workplace had felt
like extended family. And yet, two weeks
after the funeral, I was called in and told to “snap out of it.”
Gordon actually looked me
right in the eye and said; “Enough already!
How long are you going to grieve?
We have a paper to put out.”
I told him that I would
probably grieve for the rest of my natural life and to check back with me in a
few years when he had lost someone precious to him.
I have often wondered how he handled grief when it came to his journey of life.
My best to you and if you are sad today, please know that you are never alone. I am sending you warm thoughts and prayers.
Love, Judy H. Wright aka Auntie Artichoke, family relationship coach and author
