When someone dies, not only does your relationship with that person change, but, chances are, your relationships with other people change, too. Sometimes you grow closer together, sometimes further apart. But, mostly, it just shifts to a new reality, like the rest of your life.
It’s been said before, but in some ways, death is similar to birth. There’s a new reality to assimilate, a new dynamic that exists in the household of a few, with ripple effects to many. It’s a palpable change, and neither end of the spectrum is all good nor all bad. It’s an adjustment, no matter what.
The shift that occurs in other relationships when someone dies is all part of the process. There are times when I ache for the familiarity I had with other folks when the dead people were alive. And, much as I’m trying to roll that in to my “new” reality, I can’t say it doesn’t still hurt from time to time. I can’t say I don’t still wish I could experience those times again.
And yet, she persisted………
