It has not even been a week since her passing and today being a holiday to spend with family and loved ones giving thanks for ones blessings... As I sit in my home alone reflecting on my life and my many losses I can cry a river of tears and easily feel the need to retreat to a dark place . I am not gonna let myself do that ... My mother , all my grandparents, brother, aunts, uncle ,cousins, friends and beloved pets who have passed on would not want that for me. 

Sure I let myself have those days when I don't want to get out of bed , don't want to eat ,don't want to do anything , I too have really dark days but somehow ... somehow I find a way to push myself to get up and get going ... Someone is giving me that strength ... I use to take life day by day , then hour by hour ... now sometimes I take it breath by breath ... but I keep going ... pushing and doing. 

There are so many forms of grief , those of us who have come to this site know all the stages and probably experienced many if not all and then some... 

We all grieve in our own ways , however expressed or not expressed grief is emotional pain of the heart , We grieve because we love so deeply ... 

I would not trade my grief for anything ... I just pray that I / we have the strength to push through this pain and the sadness fades to happy memories soon . 

Wishing you all peace and love