"Man, what a year. My mother died a few months ago, my cat died last month and now my dog passed away in his sleep last night," she said to me with tears on the phone. "Why does everything have to happen all at once?"
What could I say to her that would make her feel any better? How could I justify so many losses in such a short period of time? I felt helpless, which is normal for me in my profession, but sometimes I get frustrated because there really is no answer as to why death seems to happen "all at once."
Some often say that death happens in "3's". Is this true? Loss can come in many forms. It could be in the form of a lost job, an unexpected divorce, or the news of a terminal illness. Loss can be felt in many ways and often it seems like devastating things happen one right after another.
How does one cope? What kind of advice can be given that will help to ease the pain? I often find myself patting someone on the back and just being silent and allowing them to vent. It's really not much, but for those who are hurting it could be just what is needed to make it through the rest of the day.
It's hard not to pick up the burdens of others as if they were our own. We wish that we could help them carry their load and make things easier, but the reality is that each person must go through life one day at a time, somehow managing to find the inner strength to keep going.
Silence and a listening ear can be the balm that eases the pain of loss.
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