It’s been two and a half months since I lost my dad. The pain is unbelievable and constant. There is an emptiness in my heart and I feel alone and broken. The road that leads to these final moments was hard and long. He was ill, and he got hit by multiple fronts of cancer. He stayed strong till the end, defied the doctors and persevered until there was no more strength in him. He had to spend months in the hospital in Greece and while I was there last summer, I visited every day with my kids. I’m sure some of you may have lost a parent and you know what I’m talking about. I was crying and feeling helpless and I heard a lot of advice that my children shouldn’t see me cry or being sad. Well, sometimes that’s inevitable because you can’t hold back the tears and you can’t pretend.
What would you do when you hear a piece of dreaded news about a parent or a friend? Do you share it with your children or keep it from them? Do you express your feelings or do you put on a smile and carry on?
I remember one moment when we left the hospital and we didn’t know if my dad was going to make it and I started crying and my 3-year-old son Costa looked at my sad face and all, and said, “Mama do you have a boo-boo?” He immediately started kissing me to make me feel better and take the sadness away. Needless to say, it melted my heart and it made me feel better. It made him smile too because he helped me. I decided then and there that I should share with my kids what was going on. Could they understand it all? Of course not but I wanted them to be a part of this sad period because life is not always bright. There will be times that sad moments will come and they should know that it’s okay if they want to show their feelings. I’m not saying that if you decide to hide the sad news from your family, it’s not okay. Everyone makes the best choice for their family and whichever road you choose it won’t be an easy one. Maybe sharing will make you feel that you are not in this alone and you have a bigger support system behind you. Maybe it will bring a smile on your face when you least expect it.
