My temperament has been a little on the fragile side the last couple of weeks. And yesterday, as I looked at a calendar, I realized why.
I have officially lived half of my life without my mother.
From this day forward, I will have lived more of my life without my mom than with her. That sentence feels pretty weird.
I can’t really say that surviving mom’s suicide has gotten easier over the years. It’s more like the sharp edges of the grief and pain and anger have dulled with time, as flowing water smooths out a stone. I haven’t dwelled in grief for many years, yet there are times when it just sort of pops up and stops me in my tracks. And, in that 15-day gap between my birthday and the anniversary of the day that my life changed forever, I tend to feel overwhelmed a little more often and my patience is razor-thin and I need quiet alone time even more than I usually do.
And so today is one of those days that I am aware that I need to pause and take a breath.
Because I am the one who is still breathing.