the center for grieving children and adolescents

When someone in your family dies, it seems like the whole world has been dumped upsidedown.  Nothing is 'normal' anymore.  The grocery store isn't the same . . . TV has changed . . . even music sounds different.  "When will life be normal again?"  The answer is - never.  That old 'normal' included your loved one alive and well.  The new normal for your life now includes the loss of that loved one, the experience of the death, the process of grief a "new" normal.     

Crying at commercials, at the grocery store, in church, at the mall, in the shower, the car, anywhere a grieving person is, there is the potential for tears.  It is impossible to 'get away' from what has happened in your life.  As the total reality of the death of a loved one sinks in deeper and deeper, there is NO WAY to avoid your feelings.  Allowing the natural feelings . . .

There are many different support people available to grieving people.  But where do you find them?  A very common complaint of bereaved people is the lack of support they receive.  There can be surprises discovering who is there and who is not.  Many times family members and close friends are NOT the most supportive ones.  It can be mere acquaintances or complete strangers that come forward to offer the words that comfort.  Some Questions . . .