Wednesday, 8 April 2015

Grief

Image courtesy: Google
The morning sun was hidden behind grey clouds and the wind brought with it soft sprays of the morning rain. It was getting cold and the inmates of We Care hospital slowly made their way inside after having spent an hour in the beautiful garden with Janet, the social worker. She came thrice a week to hold hands, listen and speak to them. They could say anything to her. She would listen patiently without judgement, sometimes responding with a few lines of poetry or a mere nod of the head or engaging them in a fun activity. That seemed to be enough for the patients who had been admitted there to recover from the shock of bereavement.

Once the group session was over she had a few individual sessions. Janet walked to the cafeteria where Maya waited every day to share her pain, the tragic demise of her husband. As she listened, offering her thoughts occasionally, Janet was taken back to the days when she herself had been stricken with grief when her son, barely five, had left her to be lonely forever. They had been playing at the beach when he spotted a shiny object in the water and ran after it, never to return again.

Janet was devastated and had withdrawn into a shell. She was an emotional wreck for several months until her friend, a psychologist at We Care had suggested she come in regularly to meet others who were also battling the pain of loss of a loved one. She had come a long way from there, learning to cope and simultaneously lending a hand to other grievers. She was glad she had someone to steer her through troubled times and so was determined to do the same to others too.





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9 comments:

  1. It is indeed a noble deed to be there to listen to other people's grief and be able to give them hope making them feel light in the process.

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  2. Being there for others is a selfless deed. And to help them deal with grief just by listening is very noble. Good one, Vidya. :)

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  3. What Janet is doing is not just helping others. In the process of doing so, she is healing herself. Grief affects us in different ways.

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  4. dealing with grief is indeed a delicate issue...self-help and support groups definitely help! well narrated!

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  5. Helping others and being there for them and sharing their pain is such a selfless deed. It does require a pure heart to do that :) Glad Jane had one :) Good one Vidya :)

    God is a Gamer

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  6. Such a lovely soul. To find and bring solace to others. Very nice.

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  7. Only someone who has been there can truly understand. Too often people try to short-circuit the grief process instead of letting it unfold. Society wants us to put on a happy face, and we all need a safe place to share our pain without being judged for it.

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  8. Sharing grief even silently helps heal faster, loved it!!

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  9. The death of a loved one is one of life’s most difficult experiences.Helping others cope through this trying time is indeed a noble thing to do! Kudos to Janet for doing what she did!

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