But I might Die Tonight

Reading about the stages of grieving described in the article let me put names to stages of grief that I have seen numerous times or experienced myself. I see people grieve all the time as I work in a nursing home and people frequently pass away. The family members that come in are sometimes struck with disbelief or anger and frustration. Sometimes they are even grateful if their loved one was suffering or in pain. Seeing spouses grieve is usually different than other members of the family. They may have been coming in and visiting with their husband or wife everyday for an extended period of time. When this person passes away the spouse has to figure out how to live and define themselves without their partner. The grieving process described in the book is more or less accurate. I think that some people may go through the stages in a different order but they more or less go through them all. The tasks of mourning are also important in the grieving process. I would think that the most difficult one would be to let yourself experience the pain of grief. Sometimes people don't want to accept the facts so they try not to grieve. If we don't grieve properly we are only putting off this painful process even longer and making it harder for ourselves to move on.