Over at What's Your Grief, Litsa Williams has another great article, "The Limited Language of Grief". Oftentimes, she writes, those of us who are grieving have a hard time describing what we're feeling, and we struggle to find the right words to define what we're going through. Other times, she writes, there aren't any appropriate words:
"Still, there are many experiences where we remain tongue tied. These are grief-related events and feelings that should have a word, but don’t. For example, someone who has lost a spouse is a widow (or widower), someone who has lost both parents is an orphan. But for those who have lost a child, we can think of no specific word.... Most commonly we hear the term bereaved parent and, though it works, I can’t help but wish that such an unbelievably devastating loss had its own word."
Perhaps we can look for ways to enlarge our vocabulary that encompasses our experience with grief and loss? I do resonate with Williams's description of "grief friends" -- people you bond with over shared grief. I've been fortunate enough to discover some of these people since my mom and the pets passed. Anyhow, I would recommend reading the whole article -- it might be a good way to get us all thinking more creatively to explain what we're going through.
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