The death of a grandparent can be the catalyst for a family to grow closer together or completely fall apart.
A Grandparents role in the family is not only the mother or father of a Childs parent but a key figure in the history & backbone of the family. A Grandparents love for their family runs as deep as the ocean and as wide as the sea.
Grandparents are an essential part of the family with high status. They have many amazing stories to tell, knowledge of so many fascinating things to share. They bring to the table, love, laughter, wisdom, patience, warm hugs and many kisses, guidance, and strength.
When a grandparent passes away, the Grief can be especially difficult for the family if the grandparent was the strong rock of the family and played an important role.
Coping with the Death of a Grandparent. … Losing such a special person is always difficult, but especially so if it is your first experience with death.
When this individual has played an unique role in the life of the family, a child or children. Although the Grief may be intense, often times some family members hold much of their grief inside and not talking about it nor expressing their feelings at all.
If there was a special bond, it makes coping much harder. Members of the deceased loved ones family may experience sadness, depression, anger, rage, feelings of loneliness and anxiety.
Making sure the grandparent’s memories and traditions remain a part of the family, talking about the grandparent, cooking and/or baking recipes that were special to them, and laughing at some of the memorable things shared will help ease some of the pain and keep their legacy alive.
I vividly remember when my grandparents passed away, but my grandmother’s death is a memory I will never forget. She loved being out in nature, fishing, gardening and just loved people and her family so much. I remember riding home from school each day and passing the street my grandparents lived on and always looking down the road at it, to see if I could get a glimpse of my grandmother or grandfather.
The particular day my grandmother passed away was a sunny day in the 1970’s and the school bus was taking me home and I looked down the street at their house and saw so many vehicles but just thought they had company. When I finally arrived at home, my mother was waiting for me and broke the news of my grandmother’s death. I was devastated. My grandmother meant the world to me and now she was gone. I felt so terribly for my mother and her siblings, my aunts and uncle. My heart broke for my grandfather who had just lost the love of his life, a woman who had been there for him through thick and thin and had given him a beautiful family.
I remember our family pulling together as a family should and providing comfort for each other, holding on to one another as we managed to get through her funeral and maintain our sanity to move forward in our lives, but it was extremely difficult.
I do know that it is very good to know that there’s no firm line we cross from grieving to “moving on.” Moving on doesn’t mean that we’ve forgotten our grandparent and are no longer sad about the loss. Every person should take as much time as he or she needs.
A LITTLE PIECE OF MY HEART 