How do you ever come to terms with the loss of a parent? Can being in nature really help?
Many of you reading this know that sadly, my elderly father died peacefully last August. Even though I would never expect a friend to be "over" a significant loss in ten months, it has become harder to talk about. Is this my habitual pattern of holding in emotions rather than sharing them I wonder? Do I not want to "burden" others with something that feels so raw still? Or is it just impossible to describe in words something so vast and aching in my heart, so I don't even begin to try? When a neighbour cheerfully talked about Father's Day and told me about their celebrations, I didn't want to affect her joy. I just wished I could share that I'd had tea and scones with my father in the garden of his care home. When my father died, the shock and disbelief helped to dampen down the pain, only allowing the reality to peep through for moments until it hurt too much to bear. In the last six weeks I have been forced to slow down because my body has