The Unbearable Weight of Child Loss

Your child has died. 

 That has to be the absolute worst sentence a parent can hear. It’s a nightmare you can’t wake from. You feel everything from shock to numbness, denial, anger and profound sorrow. Nothing makes sense anymore. The world around you seems to dim, and every waking moment is a reminder of your loss. You don’t know how it’s even possible to survive this loss.  Simple tasks become monumental as you attempt to bear the weight of grief. There is no comfort or solace.  The ache in your heart and soul is a constant companion. You’re told it will get easier in time; the grief won’t be so heavy to carry.  

However, the passage of time also seems like a cruel reminder of the ever-growing distance between you and your child. Milestones now become dates on a calendar instead of accomplishments by your child. Yet another weight added to your already heavy heart. There is no consolation. Those around you cannot possibly understand the wound that grief has carved into your life. It’s an experience that defies description unless you have lived it. The world is dark, you search for a light, any beacon of hope on the horizon. You struggle to find your way through the fog to that beacon of light which is your child’s memory. 

 Though the pain may never fully recede, there will come a day when you can breathe a little easier, when the world starts to regain some of its color, and when your memories of your child bring a bittersweet smile rather than tears. 

Let's walk this path we were put on, hand in hand and see if we can guide each other on this journey that is grief after child loss.