Loss

In the last few months I have lost 3 people that have meant a lot to me. First, my "grandpa" Don Johnson, next my good friend Trichelle's mother, and lastly my Grandma Iris.
Sometimes I don't understand my own emotions and what I am or in some instances am not able to deal with. I help people, that's my job. I help them sort through their feelings and emotions about life, death, friendship, substance abuse, and other mental health issues, and yet I have struggled with my recent losses.
It's hard enough to say goodbye to someone that has led a life filled with 80+ years of experience including children and grandchildren, but sitting with my friend Trichelle and watching her mother die over the last few months is heartbreaking. I can't imagine the rollercoaster ride she's been on and I wish I could have done more to help Trichelle.
My mom lost her mother when she was very young too, I had never really thought about how hard that must have been for her until Trichelle's mother passed and then to have attended my grandmother's funeral earlier this week, I realize how valuable our relationships with our mother's are.
To celebrate my grandma's life, we gathered in Pierre, SD where I got to hear about what a great woman she was throughout every phase of her life. I only knew her as my grandma, but I learned of her as a mother, a sister, an aunt and a friend. No matter what hat she was wearing, she was loved and respected.

I have learned a lot over the past few months and most importantly I think I learned how valuable good friends and family are. I've known this of course, it's not like a lightbulb just went off, but I really know it now, in my heart and at my core. I am blessed to have great friends and wonderful family with whom I can laugh and cry...sometimes at the same time.
Bless you my friends and family.