The Pit Of Grief

The day my children died, I fell into the pit of grief. My friends watched me struggle through daily life, waiting for the person I once was to arise from the pit, not realizing "she" is gone forever. The pit is full of darkness, heartache and despair, it paralyses your thoughts, movements and ability to ration. The pit leaves you forever changed, unable to surface the person you once were. Some of my pre-grief friends gather around the top of the pit, waiting for the old me to appear before their eyes, not understanding what's taking me so long to emerge. After all...in their eyes, I've been in the pit forquite sometime. Yet, in my eyes, it seems as if I fell in only yesterday. Not all my pre-grief friends are gathered at the top of the pit. Some are helping me with the climb out of the darkness. They climb side by side with me from time to time, but mostly they climb ahead of me, waiting patiently at each plateau. Even with these friends I sometimes wonder if they are also, waiting for the pre-grief me to magically appear before their eyes. Then, there are the casual acquaintances, you know the ones who say, "hi, how are you?" when the really don't care or really don't want to know.These people are the people, who sigh in relief, that it was my child who died and not theirs. You know...the "better them, than me" attitude. (not that I blame them for that sigh or attitude, I too wish it happened to someone other than myself). My post-grief friends are the ones who climb with me, side by side, inch by inch, out of the pit of grief. They have no way of comparing the pit climber, to the pre-grief person, I once was. You see, they started at the bottom of the pit with me. They are able to reassure me when I need reassurance, rest when I need resting, and encourage me to move forward when I don't have the strength. They have no expectations, no memories and no recollection of how I "should" be. They want me to get better, to smile more often and find joy in life, but they've also accepted the person I've become. The "person" who is emerging from the pit.