Monday, October 19, 2009

What would my deceased parents say?

This is a question that was posed to me by a writer who was interviewing me. I answered that I hoped they would tell me that they were proud of how I've handled their loss.

As I continued to think about the question, it occurred to me that my story of my loss was about demonstrating my love for them and it was about:

1) Honoring their memory by telling my story
2) Confirming to myself that I did everything I could for my parents while they were alive
3) Sharing my story to help others
4) Knowing that they would be proud of me

If they came back for a day, I would share with them how painful it was for me to lose them. But through this pain, I found a way to help myself by writing and speaking about my life with them. I would tell them how I discovered what extraordinary people they were and that this fact needed to be shared with the world. My relationship with my parents was special. I didn’t know how special until I began speaking with people about their relationship with their parents.

I also would tell them that their legacy will continue through my writing and speaking about my memories. I would assure them that they would not be forgotten.
Then I would be anxious to hear what they would say.