By: David Kennedy, Bereavement Coordinator

“I can’t believe it has been a whole year!” She sat in the same chair she did a year ago, but she is not the same person. “I must admit,” she added sheepishly “I really didn’t think I would last a year. I am pretty sure that without Hospice I wouldn’t have.”

These words spoken by a woman, whose husband of 30 years had died suddenly, have been expressed by many who have found themselves lost after the death of someone they love. Life is hard to imagine and time doesn’t slow down to allow us to catch up, nor does it speed up to allow us to escape.

I asked her what had changed in her. ”Literally everything. With Bill not here I had to learn to do things I took for granted that he looked after. I have had to find myself in a new way. I lived at home until we were married and I have never lived alone. This year has defined ‘alone’ in a completely new way. I have found that I can do and I can be, and that is important. I wish I had Bill back, but I know I can’t, and I just know he is proud of me for the changes I have made.”

Death changes us, and while we struggle with those changes, there is hope. Taking life a day at a time – sometimes moment by moment, gives us the chance to deal with life without being overwhelmed and Hospice is here to help people make that journey.