One Sunday afternoon when I was fifteen, my dad had a massive heart attack and collapsed in front of me. They resuscitated him at the hospital, but he never regained consciousness. For a week I sat by his bed and talked about anything and everything that came into my mind.

I knew he wasn’t going to make it.

Since there was no evidence of any brain activity, the doctors asked for permission to turn off the machines. Dad died several hours later.

I had been living with my dad, just the two of us. It wasn’t a perfect relationship, but I loved him. When he died, I felt lost. He had been my home.

Another family stepped up and took me in.  Even though they already had four kids, they welcomed me in as one of their own. It was wonderful. They helped me heal.

Then November and December rolled around. First dad’s birthday, and then Christmas. I was having a blast with my new family, but I also felt terribly sad. My heart ached.

I missed my dad.

 

Holidays can mess with our hearts

Special days bring up and magnify our losses. We become keenly aware of who’s missing.

I think of feel-good Christmas classics like Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, and White Christmas. The backstories of these films include tragedy, illness, economic disaster, war, death, depression, and the difficulty of aging. Perhaps that’s why they’re classics. They give us hope. They’re about overcoming our losses. Though life is tough, love and goodness can still win out.

I’ve had almost 40 years of holidays without my dad. The ache has gotten better, but it’s still there. I’ve gotten used to that hole in my heart and have learned to appreciate it.

I miss him. I’m supposed to.

 

Using special days to heal

We never get over a person. We learn to get through tough times in the healthiest way possible. And that includes birthdays, anniversaries, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the other special days.

Like those holiday classic movies, many of our special days will be about overcoming. The goal isn’t to merely survive, but to make those special days work for us in less and help us heal.

How can we use that special day to honor our loved one, express our love for them, and also loved those around us in the process?

Holidays can be tough. But they can still be good. 

 

Adapted from the 2016 Book Excellence Award Finalist, Surviving the Holidays Without You: Navigating Grief During Special Seasons

Photo Credit: ©photodune.net

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