I remember talking to my minister about a book we both read about purpose in retirement and making it worthwhile.
I didn’t realize at the time that his wife who had been treated for cancer had been told months earlier that there were no treatments they could give any more to treat her cancer.
She died a month ago and I felt terrible that I had been talking about the future when he knew his wife was going to shortly. The diagnosis was she would live into the new year, but as it happens in life so often what was supposed to be didn’t happen.
How do you recover from that loss, and how do you move forward into the future. I have been there with the loss of my wife back in 2007 in mid-October. It’s a terrible place to be especially when you must move past Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years Eve.
I got past it by putting one foot in front of the other, and it took me a year to regain my bearing again. It makes me think of a quote by Michael Todd but I would repurpose its meaning. Being sad while you are mourning is temporary, Being permanently depressed is a state of mind.
It is tough to move past mourning but if you don’t recognize that you still have a life ahead of you that has purpose and meaning you will never move past it and celebrate the holidays with the joy and hope that comes with them. I wish you a Merry Christmas.
I have an ear that would love to hear your stories. Let’s taste the real meaning of life. I am still working on my course with the goal of launching a starter course, and I will keep you abreast as to how the process goes.
If you want to participate in this process and join my first class please send me an email to bobchuckpatterson@yahoo.com
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